Undoubtedly, this is a great technology that has a very practical use for careless parents. However, the problem is not the heat in the cars, or being forgotten in the car.
The problem has only recently picked up momentum. Why are parents leaving their children in cars in the first place? This is not a moral dilemma, it is an ethical consideration of being a parent. This device would render useless if parents were more considerate of their children. Of course, children will naturally be curious and wander off in neighborhoods and such, but parents have to keep this in mind. Rather than having technology replace parenting, fathers and mothers have to become more aware of the involved risks. Forgetting a child in the back seat of a hot car is a horrible tragedy in itself but it shouldn't be remedied by a bracelet.
There is no cure to being stupid and this technology really enforces that idea of parents being lazy and careless. There are other devices and apps in place that help mitigate or perhaps prevent kidnapping, one of the problems this device attempts to solve. For instance, there is an app that when engaged, there is an onscreen button, the user presses and holds the button when they are in a feared situation (like walking in an unknown or dark alley). If the user lets go of the button for more than 10 seconds and a passcode is not entered, the police will be alerted. This app doesn't claim to solve or deter kidnappings but serves as a lifeline in a troubled situation.
I think this device is good in purpose but lacks in design. I think there could be more features in this device that would help a child more than it would the careless parent. For example, a help button that would trigger a parent to come to the rescue.
The technology in itself has some sort of localization metrics that corresponds to another phone or bracelet. This is on the right track. It should have a positioning marker that will send coordinates to the parents when their child has wandered too for (like in an amusement park).
I think overall the project is great, the presentation was really interesting and nice but I think this sort of technology is so good, it should be used to look at the bigger picture and help with an even bigger problem. It shouldn't solely serve as a reminder for bad parents.
1 comment:
True there is no cure for stupidity and we can't stop the wrong people from having children but we can aim to help the children who didn't ask to be here. And that's what we've set out to do.
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