This bra sticker can detect sexual violence

circa ^ | August 3, 2017 | Aislinn Hein

[be-baw]

A new adhesive device that attaches to bras or underwear can detect when an article of clothing is forcefully removed.

Inventors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) hope it can help prevent rape and sexual assault.

Conceived by MIT researcher Manisha Mohan, this garment add-on can sense violent removal, and sends a prompt to the wearer asking her to confirm consent.

If the owner doesn't respond within a set time, the tape uses a Bluetooth connection to alert five pre-selected phone contacts to the danger. It also sends a GPS location to them and begins recording audio.

This device, part of the Intrepid project at MIT, tracks how a person normally takes off her clothes, and can differentiate between routine and violent removal of clothing for each individual wearer.

Intrepid operates in two different ways: either actively, when the wearer is unable to resist an assault, or passively, when the wearer is cognizant and able to activate the device.

[shotgun]