SPOT: AN INTEGRATED SOLUTION, COMBINING A MOBILE APPLICATION AND WEARABLE DEVICE, WHICH SEEKS TO HELP REDUCE SEXUAL ASSAULTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES.

FEATURED ON: PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, WASHINGTON POST, ABC NEWS, AND FINANCIAL TIMES.

PROJECT SCOPE 

SPOT was the result of a collaborative group project for Integrated Product Development (IPD); the capstone course for the Masters Program in Product Development through Carnegie Mellon's Integrated Innovation Institute. IPD follows a human-centered design process, with particular emphasis put on research and understanding problem opportunities. The output of the course is a polished design and rollout strategy for an Industry sponsor. Group teams were comprised of graduate Design, Engineering, and Business students. 

Time: 4 months

Format: 6-person group project

Role: Design and User Research, Mechanical Engineering, Project Manager Phases 2 (Understanding the Opportunity), and 4 (Concept Realization)

Output: CMU Website, Project Website, Final Report

PROBLEM

Sexual assault, and more specifically acquaintance rape (AR), is one of the largest issues facing college campuses today. Research by the US Department of justice estimate that 1/5 women will be the victims of AR during their time in college, and 89% of these incidents will involve the use of alcohol. The majority of solutions that target this problem, focus on addressing potential victims; putting the onus of responsibility on them, making them vulnerable to accept blame in the event an assault or rape occurs.