Developed by Wearsafe Labs, founders David Benoit and Phill Giancarlo’s mission is to make the world a safer place by redefining the way people seek and provide help when its needed most. Wearsafe’s mission has always been to make the world feel safer. Given the unprecedented circumstances surrounding COVID-19, the Wearsafe Personal Emergency Response Tag. has been an essential tool for front line workers, healthcare workers, children with allergies, individuals living in homes with domestic violence situations, and of course, senior citizens and those with immunocompromised systems. Now, more than ever, it’s essential for these groups to feel connected to individuals who can provide support and assistance should it be necessary. The Wearsafe Tag is a simple yet life-saving safety device. With the press of a button, an alert is sent to designated contacts that include real-time location using a phone’s GPS and live streaming audio, so those receiving the signal can make the best decision to help. In addition to being a natural for our front line healthcare workers, Wearsafe has a partnership with the National Domestic Violence Hotline, International Medical Corps and others.
Most recently, Wearsafe launched it’s platform with voice activation in Japan with Hideki Matsui as its brand ambassador.
FMM: Given the unprecedented circumstances surrounding COVID-19, the Wearsafe Personal Emergency Response Tag has been an essential tool for front-line workers, healthcare workers, and others. Please tell us about Wearsafe.
In 2014, my parents had a fire in their Connecticut home and due to the chaos of the event, were not able to contact me until a few hours later. As I began to think of ways they could have instantly called me for help, my colleague Phill Giancarlo and I wanted to find a way to give those in danger the ability to contact friends, family, and colleagues even if they could not reach for a cell phone.
Before the fire, we both thought of personal safety as simply being prepared. We were taught that we could reduce the risk of being in harm’s way by being alert and aware of our surroundings. After the fire, we realized personal safety is not only about being prepared, it’s also about being able to connect with those you need to reach regardless if you can call them, and so we created the Wearsafe Safety Platform. We knew that while phones were capable of calling 911, there will be many situations when you cannot reach for your phone and call for help. In addition, there may be times that you feel threatened or unsafe, and reaching for your phone may escalate and we know that when someone is scared, anxious, or panicked it may be difficult to unlock your phone and make a call.
When the Wearsafe app is activated through the press of the Wearsafe Tag, a voice-activated phrase on a smartphone or voice assistant ((Alexa, Siri, Hey Google), or the tap of a smartwatch, designated contacts immediately receive an alert through email and text. A Wearsafe alert contains live-audio and an exact GPS location, so the right type of help can be coordinated by the ones who know you best.
During COVID, Wearsafe provided individuals the ability to stay connected with their loved ones when it was unsafe for them to be together. From a senior whose children could not visit or check-in to the first responders going to work each and every day, to businesses and nonprofits who were using Wearsafe as a way to check in, Wearsafe morphed into a Smart PPE device as it enabled individuals to live their lives on their own terms while being connected.
FMM: Take us through the technology behind the Wearsafe products.
Wearsafe’s patented IoT software platform powers a host of LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS-connected device sdesigned for the well-being of employees and individuals.
When a Wearsafe user activates the Wearsafe platform the system provides the user’s pre-designated contacts with real-time GPS and live audio so that help can be coordinated. Wearsafe makes it easy for anyone to get help instantly, offering people the ability to be safe anywhere at any time using a wide range of connected devices that they already use in their daily lives. Simply said, Wearsafe turns these connected devices into mobile panic buttons during times of need and assistance.
In addition to working with individuals, Wearsafe is an enterprise solution for some of the world’s most recognized brands. Our technology is used by organizations around the world for its ability to enable individuals and their employees to stay connected in remote locations.
FMM: Wearsafe launched its voice activation capabilities for the Japanese market and partnered with Hideki Matsui. What led to this partnership?
Wearsafe’s voice activation capabilities were previously available in English and Spanish. In September, Wearsafe launched a Japanese product in Japan highlighting Wearsafe’s voice activation capabilities for the Japanese market. Hideki Matsui uses Wearsafe to stay connected to his mother and father, Saeko and Masao Matsui, should they need help. As the last two years taught us, people want to be connected no matter how far apart we are. When Mr. Matsui learned about our product from a mutual friend, he mentioned he wished it was available for his family when he first left for the US. Now, if they have an emergency situation, he can know about it in real-time and coordinate the best way to help.
FMM: What does this mean for Wearsafe?
Unfortunately, that feeling of uncertainty a lot of us are experiencing is not going away anytime soon. For my family, I feel comfortable knowing that even if they can’t reach for their phone, they can tap a button or use their voice and Wearsafe will take care of it from there. Businesses are turning to Wearsafe as a tool for their employees who are now working in remote locations. Equally exciting, we are working with device manufacturers, security and protective service providers to bring both safety and tracking capabilities to enhance their core products and services.
FMM: Wearsafe was named, Editor’s Choice Award by Women’s Health Magazine. How are you disruptors in this space?
Wearsafe enables individuals to ask for help without making a sound and without their phone. I think our product has become a disruptor as we enable individuals to discreetly call for help, without potentially escalating a dangerous situation. It makes me feel great when runners tell me, Wearsafe is as much a part of their running gear as their sneakers or airpods. We also work with the National Domestic Violence Hotline and have provided training and discounts to their community members.
FMM: Share your vision for 2022.
Our vision for the future is pretty exciting as we are expanding Wearsafe and its capabilities of “connecting and protecting” to even more people and organizations worldwide. It’s not easy to get software developers excited but I think we have.
