A big red van is sitting outside of a school looking for children to snatch up. Once the innocent and na??ve child takes a curious step into it to see the creep's candy selection or hurt puppy. New research on tracking devices may help children snatched up this way be found more easily.
A man by the name of Isaac Daniel, the founder of the Fele Holding Corporation, has come up with an everyday item that can now be used to protect children, in addition to athletes and other users. Daniel has created a shoe that contains the same Global Positioning System technology as navigators used in cars for directions.
"I think it's a great idea and could be very useful as long as the person wearing the shoes with the GPS knows that they're being tracked," said Alfred Chen, a junior mechanical engineering major.
The Global Positioning System is made up of a network of 24 satellites that were launched into orbit back in 1993. The GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day sending information back down to earth and the GPS receivers translate the information to calculate the user's exact location.
What at first seemed like a huge technological advance is now currently used in many everyday objects like cars, boats, airplanes and cell phones, proving to be a helpful and efficient system. Because of society's rapid advancements in technology, GPS receivers are small, inexpensive and can be placed almost anywhere.
"I think these shoes would be a great thing to help parents protect their kids and especially kids that live in a higher-risk area," said Craig Hightower, a senior marketing and finance major. "A parent would always know where their kids were and if something were to happen such as a kidnapping, they would have a much better chance of finding them."
When it comes to these shoes, most think of the advantages the chip can have for parents worried about kidnappers.
"They sound like a great idea to protect loved ones," said Maureen Finn, a junior business major.
Tracking lost children is one great benefit to these new shoes but there are other ways that they can protect someone. For example, a mountain climber trapped in a blizzard or a hunter lying injured in the middle of the woods could utilize GPS technology.
When wearing these new shoes, any one of the three scenarios described could be significantly less fatal.
"If I'm going to go hiking and don't know when I'll be back, I'd feel safe having shoes that could locate me if something were to happen," said Sarah Duval, a senior history and political science major. "If I don't want people to know where I am, then I just won't wear the shoes."
The rewards of GPS shoes don't stop there. These shoes not only come equipped with locating abilities, but also measure body temperature, stress level, speed and heart rate. These bonuses can be useful for athletes training or those in need of medical assistance.
The shoes also come Bluetooth enabled so an injured hiker could call for help and specifically describe their situation.
If that isn't impressive enough, Daniel has even added one last perk. The shoes contain a medical monitoring system that can hold up to 100,000 records. This means that a person can program all of their allergies, medical history and anything else they would want someone to know before being medically treated.
One downside is that being tracked may make some feel uncomfortable. Additionally, these shoes aren't exactly sold at discount stores - they run anywhere from $300-$350.
Despite the price and slight privacy invasion, the pros still seem to outweigh the cons in this new product. With a considerable monetary investment, Daniel's new shoe could someday save your life.
"Overall I think they sound like a good idea, especially for children. Parents have the right to know where their kids are," said Chris Pignato, a junior pharmacy major. "If there is a concern of privacy, then don't buy them."
