Gap year travellers scared by stories of missing backpackers and outback attacks could protect themselves and their possessions by taking out
worldwide travel insurance and downloading a new iPhone app.
A small Melbourne IT firm has created a new smartphone device designed to protect users anywhere in the world.
I Am Safe works like a panic button that is pre-programmed to send text messages, recorded messages and emails if activated.
Referring to Australian backpacker Britt Lapthorne who was attacked while holidaying in Croatia, Tim Hine, chief executive of Xpertise Mobile, said: "I just thought there must be some way to tackle this kind of thing."
The app will initially be only available to iPhone users but will soon be extended to other platforms, say developers.
In related news, researchers at Childrens Hospital Boston in collaboration with the Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently launched a new device that can track outbreaks of disease around the world.
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