Wearable tech is very ‘in’, but detractors have some well-versed criticisms to throw at the industry: wearables are too expensive, they’re only appealing to techies, and they have no real real-world value.
One of the reasons fuelling such critiques is that many wearables target (highly) niche markets such as extreme sports, chronic medical conditions, and high fashion. But what if wearables were helping to combat widespread, keenly felt social causes? If that were the case the reach of such gadgets could well become far broader and more impactful.
While social entrepreneurs – people who start businesses that are about addressing social causes such as homelessness, gender inequality and animal rights – far from dominate the wearables scene, their efforts are in many ways the most exciting in the field, and I would love to see more ventures that make use of disruptive technologies for the sake of positive social change.
Let’s take a look at a couple pf examples in the nascent field I’ve dubbed Warrior Wearables:
Anti-assault devices
A batch of anti-assault wearable devices have recently entered the market. Athena is one of them, a wearable styled as a fashion accessory (think necklace charm, belt attachment or handbag broach) that serves as a type of rape whistle. Produced by Roar for Good, a US company started by Yasmine Mustafa and Anthony Gold, the Athena device has a button that can be pressed by the wearer (for longer than three seconds) whenever they feel endangered and it will emit a loud alarm that hopefully deters the potential attacker. Athena moreover connects to a smartphone app which will alert the authorities as well as certain pre-selected loved ones of your predicament and location.
Similar products include Safelet (an alert bracelet) and Revolar (an alert device worn under clothes), both of which also connect to smartphone apps for the sake of geotracking.
Google Glass helps law enforcement
Another wearable that can be classified as a Warrior Wearable is Google Glass, as the device has been employed by various police and detective agencies around the world to help fight crime.
Goggle Glass is a hands-free, glass-less glasses frame that has a very small computer screen mounted in the corner of the frame that superimposes a visual onto one’s vision. The device can take photos, stream live video, with sound, and receive text-like messages from a connected database, alerting the wearer, for example, of known offenders in close proximity to their location.
While Google Glass has yet to contribute substantially to law enforcement efforts – and the brand has in fact stopped its manufacture of the product – the potential is clear, and it was a really good idea and important development in the world of wearables.
Gaining ground
I love the thinking and heart behind such inventions as Athena and Google Glass for police. Such devices aren’t about being flash and gimmicky, rather they reveal the social consciences of their creators and a desire to effect positive change.
Do you have a similar idea up your sleeve? Something to do with pollution, animal abuses, homelessness or unemployment? Share the idea with us, or, even better, keep it to yourself and turn your idea into your own start up – become a Warrior Wearables contributor.
