A trio of Indian students say they have created “anti-rape underwear” that will deliver electric shocks and alert police and parents to potential assaults.
Named Society Harnessing Equipment (SHE), the lingerie is equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) for mobile communications (GSM), pressure sensors and is capable of sending 3,800 kV.
Manisha Mohan, an engineering student at the SRM University of Chennai, built a prototype of the underwear along with colleagues Rimpi Tripathi and Neeladri Basu Pal.
The SHE lingerie is capable of emitting electric shocks up to 82 times
Inspired by the recent spate of rapes in the country, Mohan told The Times of India: “A person trying to molest a girl will get the shock of his life the moment pressure sensors get activated, and the GPS and GSM modules would send an SMS on emergency number 100, as well as to the parents of the girl.”
The garment, which can emit shocks up to 82 times, is set for commercial release later this month, and has been nominated for the Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Award 2013.
The trio of engineering students behind the anti-rape underwear
Mohan has approached the National Institute of Fashion Technology to help find a suitable fabric enabling the product to be washed.
The garment is features sensors and an electric shock circuit board, with the circuit board “placed near the bosom because in the attempt of rape…as per survey, women are attacked first on their bosom.”
A statement from the two female members of the team via Techpedia reads: “Studying in a convent girls school, we were always taught to be good to everyone around and bear a cheerful smile.
SEE ALSO:
“After stepping into the real, cruel world we realised that our smile could not last for long as the threat to our purity and integrity always lingered on.
“Since the lawmakers take ages to come up with just laws and even after that, women are unsafe.
“Hence, we have initiated the idea of self-defence, which protects the women from domestic, social and workplace harassment. We came across many such incidents of harassment during our survey in [a] women’s hostel.”
The garment features sensors and an electric circuit board and is insulated with a polymer
New Delhi has emerged as the 'rape capital' of India, with 25% of cases across the whole of India occurring in the capital, according to an Al Jazeera report.
A woman is raped in Delhi every 14 hours, according to figures quoted by the BBC.
Despite this, official figures show that there was only one conviction for rape in the whole of 2012.