A team of Computer Engineering students at Algonquin College wanted to make safely walking the streets as easy as pushing a button.
The project, which will be presented during the RE/ACTION Showcase on Aug. 12, has culminated in a personal safety app called Aegis. Currently, in its beta phase, the app is designed to send emergency messages to a prechosen personal contact using Short Message Service (SMS) signalling.
“A user decides to choose specific contacts that they trust, and then when they know they’re going somewhere, they just input the address and then [make their way] there,” said group member Musa Bisimwa.
“And if they’re in distress at any time, [the app has] an SOS button. Once they click it, the person they selected will receive their current [location], and that person can either call them to figure out what’s wrong or call emergency services.”