The gadget can be clipped to children's clothing or carried in their pockets
Posted on 07/15/2007 2:33:43 AM PDT by Stoat
It could be the perfect answer for parents anxious about their children's whereabouts.
A device the size of a large matchbox is being launched that exactly pinpoints a carrier's location through a global positioning system accessed by computer or mobile phone.
The gadget, called buddi, can be clipped to children's clothing or carried in their pockets. Parents then log on to see their child's position on a detailed map via satellite tracking.
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The gadget can be clipped to children's clothing or carried in their pockets
Buddi also has two buttons that can be pressed if the wearer is lost or in trouble to alert friends or relatives through an emergency call centre active 24 hours a day.
It is the first such device to be launched in Britain and is the brainchild of Sara Murray, 38, a former marketing consultant. She spent two years developing the idea as a result of her own experiences as mother of a daughter, now 14.
"When my daughter was little she got lost in a supermarket and in that moment of panic when I realised she was missing, I wished I had something I could put on her to keep track of her," she said.
"I found her safe and sound but, as she grew up, there were many more occasions when I worried where she was and thought there must be a better way of monitoring her. Then, two years ago, I came up with the idea for buddi."
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Satellite minder: Inventor and mother Sara Murray and her tracking device for children
Ms Murray, who lives in Pimlico, South-West London, said her idea could help other vulnerable people such as those with dementia or learning difficulties.
"We live in difficult times and any service that can provide people with the confidence that they can be traced within seconds, or alert people in emergencies, is something I am sure will help people," she added.
The device is backed by organisations responsible for vulnerable people, such as Parents and Children Together and the National Autistic Society. It goes on sale on the internet next month, costing £299 to buy plus £20 a month to operate.
But critics warn it could encourage parents' paranoia and lead to children being over-reliant on the system rather than developing skills to cope with potential dangers. Michele Elliot, director of children's charity Kidscape, said: "Tracking devices could be useful in certain circumstances, such as for children with learning disabilities or elderly people with dementia.
"But I would warn parents to use their common sense and not become too dependent on them.
"I worry that giving these devices to children will send out the message that the world is very dangerous and they can't ever be out of contact with their parents. They might never learn important lessons for themselves."
Ms Murray has also launched a product called petbuddi, which can be attached to a pet's collar and used to track them.
But the version for children has a more intriguing alternative use. Maybe it is just the job for suspicious wives fretting about a husband "working late" again.
I agree, although considering the potential for rampant criminal abuse with something so small and inexpensive as this I think it would be better to have it available by prescription only....at least that would provide some minimal checks against any rapist, stalker, pedophile, pervert, etc. etc. getting one to track potential victims with it.
Let's say that there's a psycho-rapist who takes a fancy to a pretty girl working at a Victoria's Secret shop (like in the recent case of Dru Sjodin here in the USA).. He would only have to observe her leaving work and walking to her car ONCE....now he knows which car is hers. Then, at his leisure, all he needs to do is to attach this device to the undercarriage of the car. Now he knows not only where she lives, but if he tracks her long enough, where all of her family and friends live.
And all of this can be done at his leisure, and from the comfort of his home.
Normally I'm all for completely free markets and as few controls as possible, but the concept of something so small and inexpensive as this being easily available to everyone scares me with the incredibly easy potential for abuse that it provides.
LMAO! Very funny! :-)
You had me worried there for a minute :-)
When the site asked me to select all of the cat pictures before I was allowed to enter it was rather obvious that it's a joke site ::-)
Excellent points. There is certainly a lot of potential downside to this. The utility in keeping track of children is questionable, too, given how easy it would be a child of reasoning age to leave it behind ... and a child under reasoning age should be under some supervision, anyway!
Sorry for such a late reply... my PC was down for awhile and when I was able to find my backup laptop, I totally lost track of the previous posts >.< (and password to log on)...
Thank you so much for your support.. I haven`t quite found happiness... but I am stronger today than I have been in my life. Guess something good comes out of every bad thing in life, if you allow it. Still not married, no gf.. not looking. Still can`t (won`t?!?) trust anyone... but I am a survivor, and plan to stay that way as long as I am alive. I was severely depressed for about 2 years after the situation.. but now I am fine; like I said, I am stronger now thanks to the situation.
On a lighter note.. Something that has been bugging me since the first time I saw your online name.. WHAT is the difference between a stoat and a ferret? I love ferrets and have had 2 in the past (my last one, my ex-mother-in-law took from me since my new apartment allows no pets)..
They look almost identical, although the stoat appears a little smaller. I searched the net and could find nothing relating them at all! Any idea?
Take care!
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