Insecurity at universities is a challenge faced by many students all over the world but a group of students in Michigan have created an app that may go a long way in solving this issue.
The app, which is called Companion and is available on Android and IOS, is the brainchild of five students from the University of Michigan, USA. Like its name suggests, the personal safety app lets the user request any of his/her contacts to act as a virtual companion at night. This is done through GPS on an online map which the contacted family member or friend uses to track the movement of the user as he/she makes their way to his destination.
A user sends a request to a contact in his/her phonebook to be their virtual companion. The contact is then alerted by a text message with a hyperlink that leads to a webpage showing the user walking home. If any abnormal activities are detected, like falling, running or taking an unexpected detour, the app asks the user if they are okay. If there is no response within 15 seconds, the user is given an option of calling the police while the app turns their phone into an alarm system and lets the user’s virtual companion know. Users can also select the ‘I am nervous’ button which tells the app where and when they feel safe.
Unsurprisingly, this simple but effective approach to personal safety has become rapidly popular, and not only with students at universities. Residents of other countries can download the app and use it by entering their country’s code before their phone numbers.
Lexxie Ernst, a student at University of Michigan and one of the Companion app founders, said:
‘We have had a lot of people outside the US downloading the app…Both men and women from all demographics have emailed us saying they would love to use the app. Lots of parents want to use the app for their children, and some people want their elderly parents to use it too, to make sure they don’t get lost.’
Source: africanwomanmagazine.net