Madeline Helland Recognized at 2017 ExpoSItion Event
Stamps student Madeline Helland (BA 2018) was recognized alongside her team of student collaborators as having the “Best Overall, 1st Place” project at the School of Information’s annual ExpoSItion event on March 29, 2017. Helland’s project, SoSafe, was developed in Integrated Product Development (IPD), a Tauber Institute 400-level course where cross-disciplinary teams of students from Art & Design, Business, Engineering, and Information work together to design and produce a market-ready product.
This year, IPD students were challenged to design and produce an item suitable to be worn routinely in daily life, incorporating the use of active technology and responsive to user needs in an innovative way. Helland and her team — including students Rohita Tikoo, Colin Tyrell, Sanmeet Jasuja, Vikalp Aggarwal, Nishith Mohan — responded to this challenge with So Safe, a product designed to help users feel safe in different contexts or when they are in need of support or help. At the press of a button, So Safe users can send an “SOS” message to friends when a “creeper” lingers too long at the bar. In the event of immediate threat, So Safe can emit a loud, screeching siren to deter attackers. So Safe users can also utilize geo-location to ensure friends can stay connected, whether they’re out for a night on the town or when walking home alone at night.
Learn more about So Safe at their product webpage, and see it in-person at the IPD Trade Show on Wednesday, April 5 from 6 – 8 pm at the Stamps Gallery (201 S. Division St).