CHENNAI: What if you didn’t have to waste precious seconds giving directions to your location if you had a car accident? Thanks to a clip-on device created by a four-member team from Sathyabama University, that ‘automates’ both the emergency call and location - you can have an ambulance reach you in 12 minutes flat.
The device that can be clipped under the seat of your car weighs as much as a one litre bottle of water and is wired with sensors that will automatically connect to emergency telephone number 108, in case of a collision.
Launched on Thursday, during the International Conference ‘Emerging Noverties and Vistas in Space Technologies and Applications,’ Philip A Min, US Consul General in Chennai launched the device in the presence of Achim Fabig, Consul General of Federal Republic of Germany in Chennai and Dr Jeppiar, Chancellor, Sathyabama University.
Initially a concept that was thought of as a mobile version by undergrad student J Vivek, the project was further evolved when he joined his Masters in Computer Science Engineering, along with the help of faculty members Dr Lakshmi, Professor and Head, Faculty of Computing, R Sethuraman, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering and D Manuel, Technical Assistant, Department of Electrical Engineering.
Vivek said, “Usually, an ambulance service will reach within 20 to 30 minutes, but using our device, you can cut that time by half.”
Professor Lakshmi goes on to add, “And this is without any human interaction - both the accident location and device number are sent to 108 through a cloud telephony system and the communication process is done in two minutes.”
The victim can also call 108 back through this device to explain the details of his situation. Not to mention, it automatically activates the mics and speakers of the car to make the process more convenient if the person is injured.
A handy tool that can be clipped on just about anywhere, be it your home or a security guard booth - this invention is hoped to slash the estimated time of arrival (ETA) for rescue efforts in all sorts of emergencies ranging from a fire to a heart attack.
Of course, if your vehicle suffers a minor bump and help is not required, the system can be deactivated with the press of a button.