New bracelet doubles as emergency alert system

Personal style meets personal safety with Texas company WiseWear

HOUSTON – Stay safe, in style — it’s possible, thanks to a bracelet that doubles as an emergency alert system, from a new jewelry line.

WiseWear safety bracelets were developed by a Texas company, and have become a fashion hit with teens. They also provide a sense of security for parents.

Online: WiseWear

For high school student Sofia Zapatero, the phrase “back to school” means a new backpack, new clothes and her favorite accessory, a new silver bracelet.

“I really like it, because it's really fashionable,” said Sofia of the jewelry. “It's really cute. It goes with pretty much all my clothes, and that is a big thumbs up for me."

And as far as bracelets are concerned, this one is anything but ordinary.
 
“This was built for women's safety,” said Gerald Wilmink, of WiseWear.
 
The company creates the bracelets to be embedded with a safety feature that can send out an alert in case of an emergency.

The person wearing the bracelet can flip it over, tap it, and the device will make an automatic phone call and text message to the person or people of the user's choosing, alerting them that he or she needs help. The bracelet also sends out exact coordinates.

The signal has a range of 50 feet, so a cellphone doesn’t have to be in hand in order to activate it. The bracelet also tracks your physical health, and sends alerts from your calendar.

"You can set it all — text message(s), phone calls, emails,” Wilmink said. “We are going to build it so when you get calls from specific people, it (makes) a specific kind of haptic vibration.”

The product was developed and tested in a San Antonio lab. It’s already been trademarked and patented.

For Sofia’s mother, the bracelet provides peace of mind.

“It gives me a sense of security that if she's at the movies, practice, or wherever she is, her father and I are only a text away,” Jessica Zapatero said.

WiseWear bracelets range in price from $299 to $345, depending on the style.

“If I ever feel (like) I need help (or) if I’m in distress, I can press this three times and it will alert my emergency contact, which I think is a really neat feature,” Sofia said. 

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New emergency notification system doubles as elegant jewelry

Images: WiseWear safety bracelets