#femmepower #selfdefense #safety #security #Design #tech #3Dprinting

Category: Manufacturing

Industry: Security Devices/ Personal Safety

Location: Global

Related to: Self Defense/ Police/ Protection/3D Printing

Reviewer: Caseena, Karim – Parsons School of Design (Integrated Design)

Company: Defender

Website: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-defender-smart-personal-protection#/

The Defender is a personal protection system that works as a personal mace, that you can carry with you on your keychain or in your purse/bag. When spraying the mace, the device snaps a photo of the attacker and sends an alert directly to the police. The communication on your smart phone is hooked up to the device, so that you can capture and then forward the picture instantaneously to the law enforcement 24/7 and the initial payment includes one year of service. The inside of the Defender is 3D printed, and the indiegogo helps to fund the 3D manufacturing, so that the Defender can stay at an affordable price. While this sounds good, after looking up the pricing, the device is about $179, which is a lot to pay for something that seems more like a luxury item in comparison to mace. I think the overall design and pitch of this product allows for a lot of possibility, however, what happens when you don’t have a smartphone, or if you don’t have $179 to spend? What happens if your smartphone dies or is taken while you are under attack?