Idea 1 - Safe Walking App

Safety app for those walking alone at night/in unsafe areas. The app will provide the safest journey route based on real-time crime statistics on the surrounding areas, and navigate the user through well-lit and populated areas. It will also contain a number of safety features such as an emergency SOS, location tracking for friends/family, and notifications for when the user has started a journey/arrived at their destination safely.

Pros:

• Enhanced safety for users, especially those walking alone at night, as the app will avoid high-risk areas
• Navigation through unknown areas
• Emergency SOS incase users need to quickly call for help, the app can transmit their location to emergency services
• Location tracking for contacts
• Journey notifications and peace of mind for family/contacts

Cons:

• Privacy concerns when sharing real-time location
• Real-time crime data may not be able to update in rapidly changing circumstances
• Remote areas may have limited well-lit or populated areas
• An emergency SOS may be accidentally triggered, or as a false alarm
• Dependency on technology - phone battery drainage, internet and GPS

Who’s it for?

This app would be for people who find themselves walking alone at night in potentially unsafe areas. This might include people walking home from work late at night, students, people walking home from bars, tourists, joggers and runners, or vulnerable groups. It would also be for those that are worried about friends or family walking somewhere alone.

How it might be built?

This would be made as a mobile application, but could also work alongside an Apple Watch for notifications or location tracking. The app would need to have a map service integrated into it, for example, Google Maps, for route planning and directions. The real-time crime data will need to come from third-party crime data providers. There will need to be a feature that allows the user to trigger an Emergency SOS, which would then send an alert and the user’s location to local authorities. The app will have a notification system which alerts the user’s selected contacts when a journey has started/ended. The app should have an offline mode so that users with no internet access can access maps, so the app will need to be able to save and load previously loaded maps.

Idea 2 - Elderly Check-In App

An app where families/close contacts can stay connected with elderly relatives and neighbours, particularly those that live alone. The app allows users to alert emergency services if necessary. The app can also serve as almost a personal assistant to users, providing reminders about upcoming events, appointments or medication, acting as an activity monitor which may be useful for doctors or in case of an emergency eg. a fall, a heart attack etc.

Pros:

• Enhanced safety for users and provides an easy way for emergency services to be contacted if something happens
• Daily monitoring may provide better healthcare
• Improved communication between elderly people and their families or close contacts
• Reminders for important events
• Gives users a sense of independence when living alone

Cons:

• Privacy concerns when sharing personal information, or even location sharing
• Some elderly users may find the app challenging to use
• May not be able to detect activity if monitoring is inaccurate
• Users may not want to rely on an app solely for human interaction or support

Who’s it for?

This app would be made for elderly individuals who live alone, serving as a way for them to stay connected with their families and close contacts. In this case, the app will also need to be made for members of families.

How it might be built?

This app would be made for mobile use. The app would need to allow for location tracking between the user and the user’s contacts. There app will also need to allow a trigger of an Emergency SOS, which would send an alert to emergency services and alert the user’s close contacts. The app would make use of notifications and alerts, in order for the user to keep track of events and medication. The app would make use of the user’s wearable devices, if they have any, to monitor any activity that may be related to defects or healthcare.

Idea 3 - Anti-Fake News Verification Tool/App

An app or tool that uses AI and crowd-sourcing to verify the authenticity of news articles. Users can submit articles for verification, and the app will provide a credibility score. Alerts and notifications could inform users when they are reading or sharing an article with a low credibility score. Could be used as a browsing widget or as an app.