Kenyan inventors create 'panic button' app to help save lives

-
The <a href="http://cchubnigeria.com/" target="_blank">Co-Creation Hub</a> in Lagos, Nigeria's most populous city, holds so-called tech-In series, where software developers and designers try to create new web and mobile based solutions to social challenges affecting the everyday lives of Nigerians over the course of two days.<br />
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
6 of 10
The <a href="http://mestghana.wpengine.com/" target="_blank">Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology</a>, or MEST, in Ghana's capital Accra provides training, investment and mentoring for aspiring technology entrepreneurs.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
7 of 10
Located in Tanzania's largest city, <a href="http://www.kinu.co.tz/" target="_blank">Kinu</a> aims to be an open space where Tanzania's tech community can collaborate, and make a joint effort to find new solutions to social challenges.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
8 of 10
In the heart of Kampala is <a href="http://hivecolab.org/" target="_blank">Hive Colab</a>, a community-run innovation hub which offers co-working space. It's a place where tech entrepreneurs, web and mobile app developers, designers and investors can meet, nurture ideas and get them off the ground.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
9 of 10
Recovering from a recent, bloody history of conflict, Liberia is turning its attention to tech. Monrovia's<a href="http://ilabliberia.org/" target="_blank"> iLab </a>offers free training in information and communications technology and serves as a meet-up space for a range of tech enthusiasts and professionals.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
10 of 10
Three co-founders of "Usalama": Marvin Makau, Edwin Inganji and Kenneth Gachukia. "Usalama," Swahili for security, connects people in need of help with emergency services at the flick of a wrist. When users shake their phone three times the app sends a distress signal and their location to police or ambulance services, their next of kin and every "Usalama" user within 200m. <br /><br />The founders of "Usalama" created the app in iHub, one of Nairobi's tech co-working spaces, known as incubators, where entrepreneurs meet to spark and develop ideas. Tech hubs have been sprouting all across Africa at breakneck speed over the last decade. <br /><strong><br />Click through to discover Africa's innovation hotspots. </strong>
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
1 of 10
More than half of African nations have at least one <a href="http://blogs.worldbank.org/ic4d/tech-hubs-across-africa-which-will-be-legacy-makers" target="_blank">according to the Word Bank</a>, with the total number hovering around 90. Investments through the tech-hub model have more than doubled in 2014, going from <a href="https://vc4africa.biz/blog/2014/12/17/vc4africa-2015-report-venture-finance-in-africa/" target="_blank">$12 million to $26.9 million according to VC4Africa</a>, an online community of start-ups and investors.<br />Part of the appeal of tech hubs is that they provide affordable shared office space, fast internet, and access to reliable electricity, something that the continent overall still grapples with. Nairobi Garage in Kenya's capital offers all of these things, an holds tech events, conferences and workshops helping entrepreneurs gain new skills. Also in Nairobi, iHub tech incubator lists more than 150 companies that can trace their origins to ideas sparked there.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
2 of 10
South Africa has the highest number of tech hubs on the continent - 18. One of the biggest is Durban's <a href="http://www.smartxchange.co.za/index.html" target="_blank">SmartXchange</a>, which strives to develop small and medium enterprises, and holds monthly forums where successful business figures offer advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.<br />
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
3 of 10
Cape Town-based <a href="http://www.rlabs.org/" target="_blank">RLabs</a> organizes digital and entrepreneurship bootcamps, and provides an investment of up to $20,000 for every social enterprise developed through their program.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
4 of 10
The east Africa nation's capital is home to <a href="http://www.iceaddis.com/about-iceaddis/" target="_blank">iceaddis</a> which supports youth-driven private sector initiatives and promotes interaction between techies, entrepreneurs, investors and people from the creative industries.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
5 of 10
The <a href="http://cchubnigeria.com/" target="_blank">Co-Creation Hub</a> in Lagos, Nigeria's most populous city, holds so-called tech-In series, where software developers and designers try to create new web and mobile based solutions to social challenges affecting the everyday lives of Nigerians over the course of two days.<br />
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
6 of 10
The <a href="http://mestghana.wpengine.com/" target="_blank">Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology</a>, or MEST, in Ghana's capital Accra provides training, investment and mentoring for aspiring technology entrepreneurs.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
7 of 10
Located in Tanzania's largest city, <a href="http://www.kinu.co.tz/" target="_blank">Kinu</a> aims to be an open space where Tanzania's tech community can collaborate, and make a joint effort to find new solutions to social challenges.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
8 of 10
In the heart of Kampala is <a href="http://hivecolab.org/" target="_blank">Hive Colab</a>, a community-run innovation hub which offers co-working space. It's a place where tech entrepreneurs, web and mobile app developers, designers and investors can meet, nurture ideas and get them off the ground.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
9 of 10
Recovering from a recent, bloody history of conflict, Liberia is turning its attention to tech. Monrovia's<a href="http://ilabliberia.org/" target="_blank"> iLab </a>offers free training in information and communications technology and serves as a meet-up space for a range of tech enthusiasts and professionals.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
10 of 10
Three co-founders of "Usalama": Marvin Makau, Edwin Inganji and Kenneth Gachukia. "Usalama," Swahili for security, connects people in need of help with emergency services at the flick of a wrist. When users shake their phone three times the app sends a distress signal and their location to police or ambulance services, their next of kin and every "Usalama" user within 200m. <br /><br />The founders of "Usalama" created the app in iHub, one of Nairobi's tech co-working spaces, known as incubators, where entrepreneurs meet to spark and develop ideas. Tech hubs have been sprouting all across Africa at breakneck speed over the last decade. <br /><strong><br />Click through to discover Africa's innovation hotspots. </strong>
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
1 of 10
More than half of African nations have at least one <a href="http://blogs.worldbank.org/ic4d/tech-hubs-across-africa-which-will-be-legacy-makers" target="_blank">according to the Word Bank</a>, with the total number hovering around 90. Investments through the tech-hub model have more than doubled in 2014, going from <a href="https://vc4africa.biz/blog/2014/12/17/vc4africa-2015-report-venture-finance-in-africa/" target="_blank">$12 million to $26.9 million according to VC4Africa</a>, an online community of start-ups and investors.<br />Part of the appeal of tech hubs is that they provide affordable shared office space, fast internet, and access to reliable electricity, something that the continent overall still grapples with. Nairobi Garage in Kenya's capital offers all of these things, an holds tech events, conferences and workshops helping entrepreneurs gain new skills. Also in Nairobi, iHub tech incubator lists more than 150 companies that can trace their origins to ideas sparked there.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
2 of 10
South Africa has the highest number of tech hubs on the continent - 18. One of the biggest is Durban's <a href="http://www.smartxchange.co.za/index.html" target="_blank">SmartXchange</a>, which strives to develop small and medium enterprises, and holds monthly forums where successful business figures offer advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.<br />
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
3 of 10
Cape Town-based <a href="http://www.rlabs.org/" target="_blank">RLabs</a> organizes digital and entrepreneurship bootcamps, and provides an investment of up to $20,000 for every social enterprise developed through their program.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show Caption
4 of 10
The east Africa nation's capital is home to <a href="http://www.iceaddis.com/about-iceaddis/" target="_blank">iceaddis</a> which supports youth-driven private sector initiatives and promotes interaction between techies, entrepreneurs, investors and people from the creative industries.
Photos: The African tech hubs fostering innovation
Show C

Nairobi is twice the national average. Incidences of muggings, carjackings and other crimes are not uncommon in Kenya's capital city.
One unfortunate victim was developer and entrepreneur Edwin Inganji. He was attacked by a group of men who stole his laptop. "I felt hopeless and I couldn't get any help.

They put ideas into action and created "Usalama," a mobile app that sends a distress signal when a user shakes their phone three times alerting emergency services of their location, as well as their next of kin, and every "Usalama" user within 200m.
"Usalama" might not have prevented Inganji's phone from being stolen, but it could have at least quickly and accurately alerted the police and ambulance services of his whereabouts. "In an emergency seconds can be the difference between life and death," Inganji says.

Connecting people in need of help

The South Africa based <a href="https://aerobotics.co/" target="_blank">drone software company</a> aims to help farmers optimize their output using artificial intelligence. They have created a data-analytics platform, Aeroview, which combines satellite, drone and artificial intelligence technology to improve agricultural practices.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
8 of 14
In Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, traffic is a huge issue -- like in many of the world's megacities. Drivers spend hours stuck in traffic jams. A team of Congolese engineers, based at the Kinshasa Higher Institute of Applied Technique, have created human-like robots to help tackle problem. The machines are equipped with four cameras that allow them to record traffic flow. The information is then transmitted to a center where it can be analyzed, and then used to direct traffic.<br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/22/africa/robots-in-africa/index.html" target="_blank"><br />Read more </a>about robots in Africa.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
9 of 14
According to the <a href="https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/AEO_ES_English.pdf" target="_blank">International Energy Agency</a> over 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity. <br />Off Grid Electric, an African startup backed by Elon Musk's Solar City, is looking to solve this by initiating the rapid supply of solar panels across Africa<br />They charge $7 a month for the system. It already powers 125,000 households.<br />Could this be a big step forward for the 1.3 billion people globally who lack access to electricity?<br /><br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/15/africa/off-the-grid-tanzania-rwanda/index.html" target="_blank">Read more</a> about this solar-powered energy revolution.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
10 of 14
Three developers from Kenya, Marvin Makau, Edwin Inganji and Kenneth Gachukia, have created a panic button app that sends a distress signal with the shake of a phone. The app, <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.usalamatechnology.application&hl=en_GB" target="_blank">Usalama</a>, works by connecting people with emergency service providers, and sends their exact location when they shake their phone three times. It also alerts a next of kin and every other Usalama users within 200 meters. They're looking to expand their technology beyond the continent and help make people safer.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
11 of 14
<a href="https://www.bespecular.com/" target="_blank">BeSpecular</a>, an app from South Africa, allows volunteers to remotely assist blind people. The app uses an algorithm to connect the right people, those similar in age and physical location. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/24/africa/be-specular-app-helps-the-blind/index.html"><br />Read more</a> about this app<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/24/africa/be-specular-app-helps-the-blind/index.html">. </a>
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
12 of 14
Where the rest of the world has lagged behind, Africa has led the way with mobile payments. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/21/africa/mpesa-10th-anniversary/index.html" target="_blank">M-Pesa</a> is the most popular service and has 30 million users in 10 countries. Since it was first introduced 10 years ago, M-Pesa has inspired a range of similar services around the world and has helped reduce barriers to finance. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/21/africa/mpesa-10th-anniversary/index.html" target="_blank"><br />Read more</a> about how Africa led the way with mobile payments<br />
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
13 of 14
It's been the dream of sci-fi enthusiasts and inventors for decades, but has this Nigerian man created a flying jet car that can dodge traffic? Kehinde Durojaiye, or "Kenny Jet", is attempting to build an aero-amphibious jet car. He's driven it on sea and land. Now it's only the air that he has left to conquer. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/07/africa/jet-car-nigerian-inventor-flying/index.html" target="_blank"><br />Find out</a> more about the potential of this flying car.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
14 of 14
Welcome, to the bleeding-edge of African innovation: VR, 3D printing, AI and the rest. The continent isn't just driving technological change for Africa, but for the world. <strong>Click through</strong> to discover the inventions and innovations coming out of Africa. <br /><strong><br />3D printing</strong> - 3D printing is gaining traction in Africa. In 2013, WoeLabs tech hub in Togo made the first "Made in Africa" 3D printer from e-waste. They want to use the 3D printer to revolutionize Africa. They're starting by putting a machine in every school within 1km of the workshop. Buni Hub is another tech center, based in Tanzania, that is building 3D printers.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
1 of 14
Pneumonia is a deadly condition. It's responsible for <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs331/en/" target="_blank">16% of all deaths of children under five.</a> A main contributing factor to this is slow diagnosis. Ugandan inventor Brian Turyabagye has created a biomedical smart jacket that can diagnose the condition four times faster than a doctor. It's also more accurate. It analyzes the chest and then sends the information via Bluetooth to a smartphone app. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/24/africa/biomedical-jacket-uganda-africa-tech-rising/index.html" target="_blank"><br /> Read more</a> about this biomedical breakthrough.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
2 of 14
African countries are developing groundbreaking technology for space exploration. Look no further than the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) in South Africa which, once completed, is set to be world's largest telescope. It will allow scientists to look many times deeper into space. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/10/africa/africa-space-race/index.html"><br />Read more</a> about Africa's journeys into space.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
3 of 14
VR has the potential to change many industries. One example is mining, a profession which has its dangers and risks. In an effort to create a safe yet accurate training environment, a team at the University of Pretoria, South Africa have a created the continent's first <a href="http://www.up.ac.za/media/shared/Legacy/sitefiles/file/44/1026/2163/8121/innovate8/2829africas_first_virtual_reality_mine_design_centrebyjaninesmit.pdf" target="_blank">VR mine</a>. The center allows students and mining staff to train in a simulated mining environment. African filmmakers are also making forays into VR experimentation. Examples of recent releases are<a href="http://www.thisisthenest.com/ltbaw-2017" target="_blank"> Let This Be A Warning</a> and <a href="https://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/other-dakar-2017" target="_blank">The Other Dakar. </a>
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
4 of 14
'Made in Africa' cars are on the rise. Mobius Motors, pictured above, are a Kenyan based car company who are releasing the second model of their stripped-down, cost-effective but luxury SUV built for rough terrains. They aim to sell the car to the African mass market, and anywhere else in the world with poor quality roads. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/14/africa/mobius-made-in-africa-kenya-suv/index.html"><br />Read more</a> about Africa's car industries.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
5 of 14
Nigerian inventor, Osh Agabi, has created a device that fuses live neurons from mice stem cells into a silicon chip -- for the first time. The device can be used to detect explosives and cancer cells.<br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/28/africa/koniku-kore-tedglobal/index.html"><br />Read more</a> about Agabi's innovation.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
6 of 14
Cameroonian entrepreneur, Arthur Zang, has invented a touch-screen heart monitoring device that records, and then sends heart activity to a national healthcare center for evaluation. It could have hugely positive potential for rural populations far from hospitals. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/06/africa/arthur-zang---cardio-pad-cameroon/index.html" target="_blank"><br />Read more</a> about this device.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
7 of 14
The South Africa based <a href="https://aerobotics.co/" target="_blank">drone software company</a> aims to help farmers optimize their output using artificial intelligence. They have created a data-analytics platform, Aeroview, which combines satellite, drone and artificial intelligence technology to improve agricultural practices.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
8 of 14
In Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, traffic is a huge issue -- like in many of the world's megacities. Drivers spend hours stuck in traffic jams. A team of Congolese engineers, based at the Kinshasa Higher Institute of Applied Technique, have created human-like robots to help tackle problem. The machines are equipped with four cameras that allow them to record traffic flow. The information is then transmitted to a center where it can be analyzed, and then used to direct traffic.<br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/22/africa/robots-in-africa/index.html" target="_blank"><br />Read more </a>about robots in Africa.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
9 of 14
According to the <a href="https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/AEO_ES_English.pdf" target="_blank">International Energy Agency</a> over 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity. <br />Off Grid Electric, an African startup backed by Elon Musk's Solar City, is looking to solve this by initiating the rapid supply of solar panels across Africa<br />They charge $7 a month for the system. It already powers 125,000 households.<br />Could this be a big step forward for the 1.3 billion people globally who lack access to electricity?<br /><br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/15/africa/off-the-grid-tanzania-rwanda/index.html" target="_blank">Read more</a> about this solar-powered energy revolution.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
10 of 14
Three developers from Kenya, Marvin Makau, Edwin Inganji and Kenneth Gachukia, have created a panic button app that sends a distress signal with the shake of a phone. The app, <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.usalamatechnology.application&hl=en_GB" target="_blank">Usalama</a>, works by connecting people with emergency service providers, and sends their exact location when they shake their phone three times. It also alerts a next of kin and every other Usalama users within 200 meters. They're looking to expand their technology beyond the continent and help make people safer.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
11 of 14
<a href="https://www.bespecular.com/" target="_blank">BeSpecular</a>, an app from South Africa, allows volunteers to remotely assist blind people. The app uses an algorithm to connect the right people, those similar in age and physical location. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/24/africa/be-specular-app-helps-the-blind/index.html"><br />Read more</a> about this app<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/24/africa/be-specular-app-helps-the-blind/index.html">. </a>
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
12 of 14
Where the rest of the world has lagged behind, Africa has led the way with mobile payments. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/21/africa/mpesa-10th-anniversary/index.html" target="_blank">M-Pesa</a> is the most popular service and has 30 million users in 10 countries. Since it was first introduced 10 years ago, M-Pesa has inspired a range of similar services around the world and has helped reduce barriers to finance. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/21/africa/mpesa-10th-anniversary/index.html" target="_blank"><br />Read more</a> about how Africa led the way with mobile payments<br />
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
13 of 14
It's been the dream of sci-fi enthusiasts and inventors for decades, but has this Nigerian man created a flying jet car that can dodge traffic? Kehinde Durojaiye, or "Kenny Jet", is attempting to build an aero-amphibious jet car. He's driven it on sea and land. Now it's only the air that he has left to conquer. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/07/africa/jet-car-nigerian-inventor-flying/index.html" target="_blank"><br />Find out</a> more about the potential of this flying car.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
14 of 14
Welcome, to the bleeding-edge of African innovation: VR, 3D printing, AI and the rest. The continent isn't just driving technological change for Africa, but for the world. <strong>Click through</strong> to discover the inventions and innovations coming out of Africa. <br /><strong><br />3D printing</strong> - 3D printing is gaining traction in Africa. In 2013, WoeLabs tech hub in Togo made the first "Made in Africa" 3D printer from e-waste. They want to use the 3D printer to revolutionize Africa. They're starting by putting a machine in every school within 1km of the workshop. Buni Hub is another tech center, based in Tanzania, that is building 3D printers.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
1 of 14
Pneumonia is a deadly condition. It's responsible for <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs331/en/" target="_blank">16% of all deaths of children under five.</a> A main contributing factor to this is slow diagnosis. Ugandan inventor Brian Turyabagye has created a biomedical smart jacket that can diagnose the condition four times faster than a doctor. It's also more accurate. It analyzes the chest and then sends the information via Bluetooth to a smartphone app. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/24/africa/biomedical-jacket-uganda-africa-tech-rising/index.html" target="_blank"><br /> Read more</a> about this biomedical breakthrough.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
2 of 14
African countries are developing groundbreaking technology for space exploration. Look no further than the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) in South Africa which, once completed, is set to be world's largest telescope. It will allow scientists to look many times deeper into space. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/10/africa/africa-space-race/index.html"><br />Read more</a> about Africa's journeys into space.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
3 of 14
VR has the potential to change many industries. One example is mining, a profession which has its dangers and risks. In an effort to create a safe yet accurate training environment, a team at the University of Pretoria, South Africa have a created the continent's first <a href="http://www.up.ac.za/media/shared/Legacy/sitefiles/file/44/1026/2163/8121/innovate8/2829africas_first_virtual_reality_mine_design_centrebyjaninesmit.pdf" target="_blank">VR mine</a>. The center allows students and mining staff to train in a simulated mining environment. African filmmakers are also making forays into VR experimentation. Examples of recent releases are<a href="http://www.thisisthenest.com/ltbaw-2017" target="_blank"> Let This Be A Warning</a> and <a href="https://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/other-dakar-2017" target="_blank">The Other Dakar. </a>
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
4 of 14
'Made in Africa' cars are on the rise. Mobius Motors, pictured above, are a Kenyan based car company who are releasing the second model of their stripped-down, cost-effective but luxury SUV built for rough terrains. They aim to sell the car to the African mass market, and anywhere else in the world with poor quality roads. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/14/africa/mobius-made-in-africa-kenya-suv/index.html"><br />Read more</a> about Africa's car industries.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
5 of 14
Nigerian inventor, Osh Agabi, has created a device that fuses live neurons from mice stem cells into a silicon chip -- for the first time. The device can be used to detect explosives and cancer cells.<br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/28/africa/koniku-kore-tedglobal/index.html"><br />Read more</a> about Agabi's innovation.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
6 of 14
Cameroonian entrepreneur, Arthur Zang, has invented a touch-screen heart monitoring device that records, and then sends heart activity to a national healthcare center for evaluation. It could have hugely positive potential for rural populations far from hospitals. <br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/06/africa/arthur-zang---cardio-pad-cameroon/index.html" target="_blank"><br />Read more</a> about this device.
Photos: African innovations that could change the world
Show Caption
7 of 14
In Kenya, contacting emergency providers can be cumbersome. "Access to emergency services is very slow," Inganji tells CNN. In 1998 the Kenyan police service switched off the emergency number claiming they didn't have the resources to operate it. In 2013, they reopened the line only for it to be overloaded by prank calls.
The biomedical jacket diagnoses pneumonia using Bluetooth
The biomedical jacket diagnoses pneumonia using Bluetooth
The founders of "Usalama" aim to bridge this gap between mobile-savvy Kenyans and emergency providers.
Initially, the team were met with scepticism from emergency providers about the new technology. But after a series of free trials they gifted to various private companies in the sector, they now have a number of security, health and women's organisations onboard.

Broadening safety

They're developing the app beyond the 'panic button' function. "If you are going home late at night, you can set the app so that you and a friend make sure you return home safe. We're also introducing a timer where if you're not home, say within an hour, it sends a distress signal," Inganji explains.
The app also logs incidences reported by users, creating a database to highlight "crime hotspots" in towns and cities.
The "Usalama" team say they have had interest from an organization in America and are working to introduce parts of the app to college campuses to help address safety concerns for women.

Solving issues with tech

Nairobi's iHub, the co-working space where "Usalama" developed the app. It has become the epicenter of Kenya's burgeoning tech scene.
Nairobi's iHub, the co-working space where "Usalama" developed the app. It has become the epicenter of Kenya's burgeoning tech scene.
"Usalama" isn't the first foray by Kenyan developers into public health and safety issues. Five Kenyan teenagers, who call themselves "The Restorers," have created an app called i-Cut which aims to connect girls affected by the outlawed practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) with legal and medical experts.
The country has long been a hub for innovation and technology, with Nairobi being named "the most intelligent city in Africa" in 2015.
While technology co-working spaces, known as "incubation centers," have fostered innovation and opportunities, high crime rates continue to blight everyday life. Nick Reding, director of S.A.F.E, a public health and anti-violence NGO, told CNN: "When you have this kind of inequity (in Kenya) between privilege and poverty you're going to have a lot of crime."

Could "Usalama" make people safer?

The success of "Usalama" relies, in part, on the willingness of police, ambulance services and other emergency providers to sign up to the app -- a pursuit which has proved difficult, they claim, especially on the part of government.
In light of this, the team has sought to broaden "Usalama" -- Swahili for security -- to connect users themselves and generate awareness about how to be safe.
SOURCE: CNN AFRICA

Comments

Post a Comment