South African tech startup, MyLifeline saw a need to provide cellphone independent security for people in emergencies. They capitalized on the need and developed portable cellphone- wearable devices for personal safety. These IoT-enabled devices work with SIM card connectivity and allow security providers to constantly monitor the whereabouts of the wearer from control rooms.
Everyone needs help in case of an emergency. Many people go everywhere with their mobile phones, but emergency situations are not planned for. The device helps people who are unable to use their mobile phones to access help in sudden emergencies.
MyLifeline has built a product that provides security providers with mobile numbers of 5 contacts in an urgent situation. The device comes with a panic button that sends signals to security control rooms. It sends the medical condition, GPS location, and top 5 emergency contacts of the wearer to security operators. The contacts are also sent SMS containing the whereabouts of the wearer’s location.
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The security officer then calls the device to ascertain the nature of the emergency. If no one answers, they will determine the sort of emergency and dispatch appropriate assistance. A notification would be sent to the control room whenever the device is removed from the wrist.
MyLifeline was founded in 2015 by Herman Bester and Anton Swanevelder. The wearable devices were rolled out last year in South Africa. They also provide business to business services to customers in Cypress and plan to expand operations to other international markets.