Female students create anti-kidnap wristband in Mexico

Around 35 thousand people have been reported missing in the state of Tamaulipas, according to the Tamaulipas Justice Association; however, only 13 thousand cases have been acknowledged by local authorities.

Against this gloomy background, three students from the National College of Professional Technical Education (CONALEP) have created a device that could save people who are at risk of being deprived of their liberty.

Isaura López, Andrea Trejo, and Michelle Martínez, who majored in Assistant Management, have invented Pulsitec, a wristband that can connect to a mobile phone with Android system and sound an alarm in case of danger. The wristband can be put on minors, as well as people with disabilities and diseases such as Alzheimer and autism.

“The idea came after a friend of ours went through a dangerous situation. We decided to find a way to alert the victim’s family so that they could take immediate action,” the students told.

“Reynosa has become very unsafe for children. Whenever mothers come out of their homes with their kids, they tend to run away at the slightest sign of danger such as a stranger approaching,” Isaura commented.

In the framework of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019 last Monday, the young women claimed that the project had taken an entire semester to complete, though they had help from Roberto Carlos Garibay, a CONALEP teacher who advised them on the proper software and apps they could use to bring their idea to life.

The electromechanics teacher did not hesitate to help them once he learned of the general idea behind the project: “These girls had a very good idea to help people amidst the insecurity crisis. They came to me for help and I advised them on the proper software to use, gathering parameters, conducting trials and such,” he claimed.

“We started working on an open source software to create the app and avoid copyright issues. We used other programs to introduce sounds, messages, and images,” he told.

Andrea Trejo pointed out that the device worked through Bluetooth, using the mobile phone’s location and data. “The wristband has a distress button that the minor can press in the event of imminent danger so that their mother or a family member is immediately notified,” she explained.

Should the person find themselves at risk, they need only push the button twice and the mobile device that the wristband connects to will start to ring, giving notice that they are in distress,” she added.


Photo: File photo/EL UNIVERSAL

“The app also has a geolocation feature. In the case of minors or people with Alzheimer’s or autism, should the person move more than 20 meters away (65 feet), the mobile phone sends the same alert and provides the person’s exact location.”

The wristband costs MXN$585 and can be used on any device with Android system, though the young women also plan to launch versions for iPhone and Windows. “We are looking for investors so that we can produce and sell more wristbands,” Andrea added.
For the time being, the women are working with prototypes only.



Notwithstanding, a Facebook user has claimed that the wristband was plagiarized from a keychain produced by the Chinese company Xingzhaotong. The CONALEP students have made no statements to deny said allegations. For more information on the chinese product, click here.