Student's watch will track missing persons
It looks almost like an ordinary watch, but it does not tell time. It will, however, help to quickly find an elderly person who got lost after leaving the house, and remind a forgetful user about taking his or her meds. The device designed by a technical high school student gained positive reviews of institutions including the Foundation "Itaka".
Wanted Clock, missing persons locator, is the work of a 19-year-old - Mariusz Bielaszka of Electronic Technical High School in Połaniec. For his invention he has already received a special prize and gold medal in the Young Inventor category at the international exhibition Brusses Innova, and honourable mention in the E(x)plory 2014 competition for 14 to 20 years old young scientists.
The watch with built-in GPS module and a SIM card can help locate and find missing persons, suffering from memory disorders and Alzheimer\'s disease. Elderly or sick person should wear it on the wrist. The caregiver only needs an ordinary mobile phone and number of the watch to be able to use the device.
Initially, the caregiver sets the safe area for the patient, such as a house or estate, which the patient should not leave unattended. "When the sick person is outside the designated area, the watch sends a text message to the caregiver, notifying that the patient has left the safe zone, and specifying the location of the person with three meters accuracy" - said Mariusz Bielaszka.
If the caregiver wants to get an update about the location of the patient, he or she can call the SIM card number to receive a reply message with geographic coordinates.
According to Bielaszka, the watch has additional features, including light signals. After sending the message containing the text +Flash+ to the number of the watch, it starts flashing intensely, which facilitates search at night, when locating a missing person is difficult. The watch also has a medication alarm function. At the hour in which the patient should take a specific drug, the device will display pictures of packaging of medications that should be taken.
"Unlike some similar available solutions, my watch will work for up to two months without charging. Currently available products of this type need charging every two days" - emphasized the young inventor. He estimated that if the device could be mass-produced, the cost would be around 150-200 zlotys.
"For now only a demo version of the watch has been created, but it will still be improved. Not only the design will change - it will be different for men and women - new functions will also be added" - said Bielaszka.
The watch was prepared as competition project for the Technical Innovation Olympics and the national competition "Young Inventor". The work was supervised by Mariusz Bielaszka’s tutor, Mariusz Zyngier, teacher at the Electronic Technical High School in Połaniec. The device received positive reviews from institutions including the Centre for Missing Persons - Foundation "Itaka", and care centres for the disabled.
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