O-BOY, the Belgian startup Hadrian Dorchi, has developed a watch with which you can send an alarm signal via satellite when you are in danger, anywhere in the world. Dorchy, who is also the CEO of a startup, came up with the idea after he nearly took a plunge on vacation.
In 2015, Dorchi had a disaster when he was windsurfing off the coast of Sal, an island off Cape Verde. “My surfboard’s fin fell off. Without a fin, this surfboard would be practically uncontrollable. It was impossible to get to the coast.”
Dorchy was miles from the coast at the time and apparently did not have his smartphone with him. The CEO was afraid he wouldn’t survive the night. “Suddenly a boat with night divers appeared out of nowhere. They saved my life.”
Send an alarm signal
Dorchy decided to never venture without a backup plan again. “I needed a reliable device built for all kinds of adventures, all over the world.” That’s how he came up with O-BOY. A watch that can send an alarm signal anywhere in the world and can alert emergency services and/or contacts in the event of an emergency. “When I first proposed the idea, I could immediately count on a great deal of enthusiasm.”
Dorchi quit his job as a lawyer and founded the startup. After three years of development, O-BOY is ready to be launched on the market.
Various services
Via a satellite connection, the O-BOY watch can send signals from anywhere in the world. Dorchi says a smartphone is not necessary. “That means nowhere is out of O-BOY’s reach, whether it’s in the middle of the ocean or over a mountain.”
Various satellite services are available, depending on startup. For example, GetMe allows users to send a pre-written message and GPS coordinates of their current location to contacts.
In the most urgent cases, the RescueMe service can be activated. This sends an SOS signal and GPS coordinates of the person’s current location to the nearest emergency services.
The third feature is the TrackMe service. Users can redirect their live location to contacts through this service. This can be done at intervals of 5, 20 and 60 minutes.
Card price
O-BOY naturally comes with a price tag. Currently interested parties can pre-order for €265 each. The final retail price will be 395 euros. Also, the various services are not free. There is a choice between monthly and yearly subscriptions for different functions.
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