Watch out Microsoft Corp. — Kursty Groves’s wired bra gives new meaning to the term “tech support.” The 26-year-old graduate of London’s Royal College of Art is developing a smart brassiere that can detect if its wearer is attacked and will notify police if that happens.
Groves’s Techno Bra is equipped with a heart-rate monitor, a global positioning system locator and components of a cell phone, all of which are discreetly concealed within removable gel pads. The bra is made of a special fabric that transmits the wearer’s pulse to the monitor, which is sensitive enough to distinguish between changes in heart rate induced by physical activity and those from fear.
Once the monitor detects a sudden change in the wearer’s heart beat, she has 30 seconds to deactivate the bra in the event of a false alarm. If not, a GPS satellite receives a signal, determines the location of the assault and dispatches a text message to local police or to a loved one’s phone.
“It will take some time before people accept the idea of being wired,” says Groves. But she believes the Techno Bra will “enhance, not limit, its user’s quality of life.”
The Techno Bra (which clasps in front) can withstand any washing machine’s spin cycle, so never mind the hassle of soaking your dainties in a sink full of Woolite. However, you must remove the electronics before tossing it in.
Groves expects her bras to be available by the end of 2001.
No word yet about matching Techno Knickers, but we’ll keep you posted.