This Tiny Wearable Jewelry Hopes to Reduce Violence Against Women
Every woman, maybe even yourself, has experienced moments of uncertainty regarding her safety — perhaps it was one time waiting at a bus stop alone, walking home at night or finding herself separated from her friends during a night out. According to the UN, one in three women across the globe are victims of assault. That’s a terrifying statistic. There’s now a wearable tech that aims to reduce the number and prevent violence against women.
This piece of tech “jewelry” is named Athena, is no larger than “the size of a half dollar” and it just might save your life someday. Athena has a button on its round face, which and depending on how you press it, triggers one of two modes. Holding the button down for three seconds catalyzes Alarm Mode, which will simultaneously sound a pulsating 85-decibel loud alarm, flash bright LED lights and send text messages to your pre-set loved ones to know you’re in danger. Pressing the buttons three times will turn on Silent Mode, which won’t sound the alarm, but will still notify your contacts you’re in harm’s way. The device also syncs up to a mobile app that will notify your contacts of your location. Athena was invented by ROAR, a tech company co-founded by CEO Yasmine Mustafa and CTO Anthony Gold. Currently, their Indigogo campaign has already raised $177,679 of its $40,000 goal.
Naturally, since it is being called tech jewelry, Athena is stylishly sleek and comes in the three color: timeless black, antique silver and rose gold. You can wear it around you neck like a pendant or it can also easily snap onto your clothing or handbag using a magnetic clasp. It’s been carefully designed so that you don’t accidentally ever trigger the signals. The best part is that the device is only an ounce in weight.
The creators of Athena aim to make technology like Athena obsolete someday. Yeah, that might sound like a pretty confusing statement right there, but the reason is because, as Yasmine says, “We don’t want to just put a Band-Aid on the problem. We want to help get to the root cause of violence against women. “They want to start solving the problem of violence against women from the root. That’s why ROAR partners with non-profits that teach empathy and healthy relationship that have been “proven to decrease violence” in a campaign called “ROAR for Good.” For each device sold, a portion of the profits goes towards these organizations.
“Our goal is that devices like Athena will no longer be necessary, but until then, we will do everything we can to help make a difference,” says Anthony. Yasmine adds, “Our team is dedicated to creating a world where everyone can live their lives boldly and without fear.” That goal is certainly the one we should all strive for.
Be safe out there, guys.
Check out their product video below.
Will you be supporting the campaign? Tell us in the comments below!
