TrackyFi – A Solution Whose Time Has Come

Technology has been improving the quality of our lives at a dizzying pace for some time now. The recent years have been more eventful in this direction. We have seen handheld, wearable and external devices that can read, understand and serve us better. Off late, we have been seeing really horrible and unfortunate instances of acts of violence against women and children happen. The right and thoughtful use of technology can help us as a society to decrease and respond faster to these incidents. A startup in Bangalore is working towards alleviating the pains that we face in this vital area.

TrackyFi

This gadget is designed like a normal ID card that most of us use on a daily basis. It will replace the ID card or badge and add a lot of much wanted and really useful security features and smart functions to it. First up, it is a GPS tracker and hence it follows that it has functions like a  locator. Anyone who wears this device can be tracked in real-time. The device comes with an app that you can install on your smartphone that will enable you to track the wearer using it.

The features don’t end there. There is also another side to this. There is a version of the application that a school or an employer can use. This version enables schools to ensure precise tracking a location of children within their facilities and set dynamic markers that might indicate some form of distress to trigger alarms and hence timely assistance to the child in distress.

TrackyFi

For the child, the device comes with preset SOS and numbered buttons that the child can use to indicate distress. This button set triggers a voice call to designated numbers of parents or guardians who in turn can actually hear exactly what is happening where the child is located. They can also speak back to the child. This might sound rudimentary or basic to many, but the key point to note here is that this is definitely a deterrent in the case of unsavory characters trying to do something bad and also a major asset in fast and precise location of the child.

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Here is the full feature set of this device

  • It sends out Real time location to the parent’s mobile phone.
  • It helps mark a safe zone and a non-safe zone during the school hours, if the child moves out of the safe zone the parents get a notification on the phone.
  • It has a panic button, which is the most important feature of the application. Every time the child is in trouble it can press the button and a call from the device is initiated to the parents phone and the parents can know what’s happening around the child and take action.
  • It enables the payment of school feel through the app.
  • It has a funcion where parents can buy school uniforms, books and stationery from the mobile app.
  • It also sends out notifications to parents if the device has low battery or if it’s shut down.

 

The use of the device for child safety is just one application. There are many such potential applications of this device. Two that immediately come to mind are the cases of working women and the disabled.

Companies that employ women in late night shifts can use this device to ensure that employees are transported safely to and from their homes. The ability to mark safe and non-safe zones will help very greatly in enhancing the security and safety of our women professionals who are striving hard to make a mark in their line of work.

In the case of the disabled – physically, visually or mentally, the device is very useful to track their movements and help in time if they are stuck in a hostile environment or have hit a mobility roadblock. In the case of Alzheimer’s patients this will be a boon for the family to prevent the elders from getting lost and becoming unreachable. All in all, it is a device whose time has come if you ask me.

The Founders of this Startup, Ritesh Pandya and Vishwanath are keen to take this product country-wide and enhance women and child safety in our nation. They both have backgrounds in Telecom and come with a rich work experience in this domain. They have worked in even challenging markets like Afghanistan and help Telcos to succeed.

Given the times we live in, I welcome this solution and recommend its adoption as a father and a techie.

About Shakthi

I am a Tech Blogger, Disability Activist, Keynote Speaker, Startup Mentor and Digital Branding Consultant. Also a McKinsey Executive Panel Member. Also known as @v_shakthi on twitter. Been around Tech for two decades now.

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