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Safety app helps keep tabs on students walking alone on campus

The Companion app provides users route information to specified contacts and notifies them if something goes awry.

September 21, 2015
Safety app helps keep tabs on students walking alone on campus

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

1 min to read


University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A team of college students at the University of Michigan developed a safety app that lets you virtually "walk home" with a friend and then sends an alert if anything goes awry as they follow your route home, reports CoExist.

The students' Companion app, which can be used anywhere, is simple to use. You type in the address you're headed to, pull down a map, and then pick a friend or two from your list of contacts. They don't have to have the app to help; a text message with a link to a map will pop up on their phone, according to the report.

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If something seems to go wrong, the user has 15 seconds to push a button to say they're ok. If not, their phone automatically turns into an alarm to try to scare the attacker, and gives the option to call the police. The contact watching the map will also have the option to call 911, CoExist reported.

For the full story, click here.

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