Signal-sending chip wins prize for new technology to protect women
New York — A tiny computer chip that sends emergency alerts in areas without cellphone service has won a global competition for technologies to help protect women and girls from violence, from a California-based foundation. The winning device is so small it is built into a watch and records audio when it is activated, said XPRIZE, which designs competitions to spur technological innovation with a social impact. Globally, one out of every three women and girls experiences physical or sexual violence — or both — from an intimate partner, or sexual violence by a non-partner, the UN estimates. The figure is twice as high in some countries. "With so many advances in innovation and technology today, it was unacceptable to us that we didn’t have a solution to help curb this sexual assault pandemic," said Anu Jain, founder of the Women’s Safety XPRIZE, in a statement. Ending violence against women and girls is one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by UN member nati...
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