Yemaya: Safety Bracelet

Yemaya represents an innovative line of safety bracelets meticulously designed to elevate personal security and foster a sense of tranquility. Conceived as a proactive initiative aimed at addressing safety concerns prevalent among women aged 18-25, this project integrates in-depth research to comprehensively tackle the challenges faced by this demographic.

* The more red the area the more violent crimes are present.

The Problem:

While the crime rate in the Urbana-Champaign area has decreased over the past few years, the number of violent crimes in and around the UIUC campus area continues to threaten student safety.

Research Question:

How can I use technology to create a safer college environment for women between the ages of 18-25 years old?

Research

Upon thorough investigation, data was gathered from a variety of online sources, alongside official crime logs provided by both the university and Champaign police, revealing the following factual information.

Violent Crimes on the UIUC Campus (Fall 2023)

Rape: 37 accounts

Fondling: 17 accounts

Robbery: 6 accounts

Aggressive assault incidents: 8 incidents

Burglaries: 4 incidents

Motor theft incidents: 40 incidents

Arson incidents: 6 incidents

627 violent crimes were committed in 2023 in the Champaign-Urbana area

The Process

While the crime rate at UIUC has gone down significantly in the past few years (35%) there is still a high violence rate within the campus and surrounding areas.

I asked myself what are some ways that I can make campus a safer place for students (specifically women between the ages of 18 to 25), and how can I make a difference in my community.

Initial Ideas:

Designing a multifunctional, user-friendly device resembling a keychain or emergency button while addressing concerns of accidental activation, bulkiness, and potential easy recognition.

Things to Include:

Simplify safety key chains by integrating essential systems like air quality monitoring, danger detection, and emergency calling, while disguising the detection device as common items such as lipstick, bracelets, or hairpins, and incorporating voice recognition for emergency calls alongside a stop option akin to Google or Siri.