Safety Shoes in industry are commonplace. However, children could benefit from a special style of safety shoes. We propose a safety shoe that incorporates a small electronics package in the shoe. The insole of the shoe is removable to expose a hollowed out compartment for a small electronics package. This waterproof, rugged module fits snuggly within the shoe, completely concealed from view. As the attached pictures indicate, any style shoe could be adapted to become a safety shoe.

Included is a battery power source, on/off switch, cellular transceiver, GPS receiver, microphone, water detector, and oximetry device. To use, a parent would place a fresh battery in the device, turn on the power switch, place the device in the shoe and put the shoe on the child.

To the child, the shoe is like all others. There is no appearance, fit or function difference, except the child would be instructed not to remove the shoe.

This device uses the oximeter to monitor the child’s heartbeat and saturated oxygen level on a periodic basis. The integrated GPS identifies the child’s position. This information is transmitted by existing cellular networks to a central server. The parent communicates with the system by a smart phone application.

The parent could program the system to alarm if the child left a predetermined geographical area. The system would alarm if the shoe was removed – noted by loss of oximetry data and heartbeat. An adult could not fool the system because their heart rate is different than a child’s. The system could locate the child at any time using the GPS. An application on a smart phone could be used to locate the child and alarm.

This device would provide protection from kidnapping, lost child, suffocation, drowning and other conditions that result in loss of vital signs. The microphone could monitor the child remotely allowing a concerned parent to listen in if a problem is suspected. The water detector could provide a potential drowning alert as small children can drown in only a few inches of water.

The advantage with this technology is range. Using cellular systems allows advanced data handling and networking to be used. This is unlike radio based monitor systems that have limited range depending on local transmitters with very limited range. Cell phone electronics have become both small and cheap to manufacture. Building an application for a smart phone is routine and the GPS positioning process is now a standard feature. By providing periodic transmissions of data, the bandwidth requirements can be relatively small.

The device can be made rugged and should be easily transferred from shoe to shoe as the child grows. It would cost a little more than a typical cell phone but it could save many children’s lives. It would serve as a deterrent to persons that intend to harm or abduct children. It would provide parents with peace of mind and better security in being able to locate their children or know when they need help.