The quest for an 'affordable' dress that detects sexual harassment
The BUBT IoT Laboratory has designed a ‘smart dress’ that could potentially detect sexual harassment. While similar products have been developed in different countries, this one could be made affordable for end users with appropriate funding
A student of Computer Science and Engineering at Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT), Jannatul Ferdaus, wears a burkha when she goes outside her home. Still, she feels unsafe while commuting by public transport.
Unwanted touch is a common form of sexual harassment in public transport, especially when they are packed with passengers. More than 60% of young women who use public transport in Dhaka became victims of some form of harassment, said a 2022 survey by social organisation Aachol Foundation.
So, when Jannatul heard a sexual harassment-detecting dress was designed at the Internet of Things (IoT) Laboratory in her very own department, she felt curious to know more about it. Recently, she was seen examining the dress, which was exhibited at the IoT Lab.
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There are force-sensing resistors attached beneath the fabric. When one of them is pressed, an SMS alert with a real-time geographical location is sent to predefined contacts in a smartphone. The contact numbers can include anyone in the wearer's safety circle.
"If I wear these sensors, I will feel safe. At least I could let people know that I am in danger. Many times, victims of sexual harassment cannot complain. This alert system with specific information can be used as a document of proof," she said.
Concerned about increasing sexual harassment in Bangladesh, BUBT Vice Chancellor Professor Muhammed Fayyaz Khan in March this year assigned CSE Department's new faculty member Reazul Islam to develop an affordable 'smart dress' to detect sexual harassment.
After one month of theoretical research and support from external experts from abroad, Reazul came up with a design based on portable force-sensing resistors.
Meanwhile at the IoT Lab, he developed a mobile application loaded with machine-learning algorithms. The plan was that the application, by choice of the users, would activate the force-sensing resistors.
The sensors would detect stress (over 600 gram of pressure) over the dress and automatically send alerts to predefined contact numbers with real-time GPS location (the possible crime spot).
By May, Reazul and his team members developed a prototype of the sexual harassment detection dress. BUBT's Pro-Vice Chancellor Mohammad Ali Noor and CSE Department Chairman Saifur Rahman provided their support in developing the system.
When we visited the IoT Lab, a kameez with sensors attached to a laptop with several wires was hung on a stand. Four sensitive parts of a woman's body were selected on the dress and the small square-shaped sensors were attached there. Reazul then activated the app on his smartphone and pressed on a particular area of the dress. Within a second, a text alert arrived.
"The system can alert the user's safe circle (relatives, friends etc) as well as the three closest police stations near the possible crime spot. An advanced system will be developed to alert the closest on-duty police personnel," he said, adding that the final product will be portable like a micro SIM we use in our handsets.
Reazul and his team are now researching on developing smarter sensors to detect 'intentional' stresses that could be translated by Artificial Intelligence as 'sexual harassment'. Sometimes people can bump into each other accidentally while riding public transport or in a crowded place and that could send false alerts.
In 2017, a research assistant at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, Manisha Mohan, developed a 'smart sticker' sensor aiming to prevent sexual assault or rape in real time by alerting people.
The device with four layers including one conductive to detect stress and forceful removal of clothes is enabled to send a message to the victim's safety circle alerting them. Even when the victim is unconscious or cannot fight the assaulter, the system can detect and record signs of the assault.
The next year, Swiss beverage company Schweppes and advertising agency Ogilvy came up with a video campaign exhibiting the 'Dress for Respect' - a smart dress made up of multiple sensors that were placed throughout the dress. The dress could sense not only where the wearer was touched but also the intensity or pressure of the touch.
A student of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi, Ajay Sangwan also developed a smart jacket in 2019 which could prevent unwanted touch by giving the assaulters a mild electric shock and alerting people.
Professor Muhammed Fayyaz Khan was well-informed about the worldwide developments in making 'smart dresses' to prevent sexual harassment.
"But we wanted to make it affordable for common women in Bangladesh. I believe, if we are granted funds of Tk15 to Tk20 lakh for further research, we can prepare the cheapest smart dress for end users," he said.
Reazul hinted that the retail price of the system could be minimised to Tk4,500 if produced at an industrial level.
