Engineering students create anti-rape undergarment that delivers 82 shocks to attackers

Three engineering students from India have invented a new electric shock undergarment capable of delivering up to 82 shocks to an attacker in an attempt to protect women from rape. Their hope is that this self-defense technology can help prevent domestic, social, and workplace harassment.

 The device lies under this article of clothing. (Image via Techpedia)

Niladri Basu, Manisha Mohan, and Rimpi Tripathy, students from the SRM Institute of Science and Technology in Tamil Nadu, India, were inspired to develop the shocking technology as a result of the rise in gang rapes in their country.

 
“We came across many such incidents of harassment during our survey in women’s hostels. So we decided to make this project which can be implemented easily,” the team wrote in their paper presented at the Gandhian Young Technological Innovations Awards where they won an award for their new technology.

 The device under the clothing. The team acknowledges it needs to be more compact. (Image via Techpedia)

The anti-rape device, called SHE (Society Harnessing Equipment), is worn under a woman’s clothes and equipped with sensors and an electric shock circuit board. The undergarment is insulated with a polymer layer to protect the wearer from experiencing the shocks. It includes GPS and GSM modules designed to track the wearer’s location and send stress messages to the Indian emergency system and to the wearer’s parents. 

 
The students placed the circuit board at the top of the undergarment, close to a woman’s chest. (Their survey indicated that women are first attacked in this area.) The sensors can then detect any unwanted force and send up to a 3,800-kilovolt shock to potential aggressors.

 
The team envisions building a newer model to include Bluetooth and infrared technology that could send signals to smartphones instantly in the case of an attack.

While the students understand that the device needs to be developed further and made more compact for the user, mass production of the device will begin at the end of the month as a temporary solution.