Satellite Locators Track Youngsters

A string of high-profile kidnappings this year has spurred some anxious parents to keep tabs on their children the same way cars and trucks are tracked: by satellite.

But will satellite locators give parents much-needed peace of mind, as makers of the devices and advocates say, or will they only fuel parental paranoia, as critics contend?

Those questions are at the center of an emerging debate about this new line of child-safety devices.

The idea behind the devices is simple enough. Strap a wristwatch on your child, clip on a pager or toss a small device in a coat pocket, then check on your child's whereabouts any time, by phone or via the Internet.

Earlier this year, Digital Angel Corp. came out with one such device, a $399 personal safety and location system that is worn like a pager. It requires a service contract that starts at $29.95 a month.

This fall, Wherify Wireless Inc. introduced a $399 personal locator that looks like a watch. Its service plans start at $24.95 a month.

Next year, a start-up called Peace of Mind at Light Speed Inc. plans to sell a $100 pocket-sized device that can fit in a backpack. Service plans are expected to run $5 a month.

These new child-locator devices rely on cell-phone technology and the U.S. Global Positioning Systems' two dozen satellites orbiting the Earth to pinpoint a child's location. GPS, which was once available only to the military, is generally accurate to within several yards.

Today, operators of commercial vehicles use it to track their fleets. Motorists install GPS devices on their personal vehicles. Hikers and other outdoor-sports enthusiasts are beginning to carry GPS devices to keep track of their locations. Parolees are wearing GPS devices so that corrections officers can monitor their comings and goings.

Increasingly, cell phones are being equipped with GPS technology.

It follows, then, that the next step in satellite technology is to use it to keep track of our most precious assets - our children.

Timothy Neher, founder and president of Wherify Wireless, came up with his idea for a watchlike locator device five years ago after trying to keep an eye on his young niece and nephew during a visit to a zoo in Honolulu.

At one point, Neher said, he looked down and they were gone.

"I felt that panicked feeling that every parent feels," Neher said.

Advancements in technology are helping to fuel the development of GPS devices for children.

Early versions were the size of microwave ovens and cost thousands of dollars. The GPS technology in Wherify's watch is on a microchip the size of a postage stamp.

Prices have dropped, too, but supporters and critics alike say prices haven't fallen enough to make GPS locator devices affordable for the average family.

Still, just as the prices of DVD players, computers and other high-tech devices have dropped dramatically over the last few years, the cost of GPS devices for children is likely to come down, too.

Neher said he hopes to someday be able to give away Wherify's watches, or sell them for a nominal price and make money from the service plans.

The price tag hasn't deterred some parents from getting GPS devices for their children. Neher said Wherify has sold "thousands" of its watches and has a backlog of orders.

Digital Angel spokesman Matthew Cossolotto said the company has sold "a few hundred" of its personal locators and has a contract to sell 1,000 to a Mexican distributor.

Sales have risen in the wake of a spate of child abductions this year, including those of Danielle van Dam in California, Elizabeth Smart in Utah, Samantha Runnion in California and Cassandra Williamson in Missouri.

Research shows that three out of four abducted children who are killed die within the first three hours of being kidnapped.

With Digital Angel's locator or Wherify's watch, a parent can find a child's location within minutes by placing a call to operators at Wherify or Digital Angel. If a computer is handy, a parent can log on to a Web site to call up a map showing the child's location.

Wherify's watch can be locked onto a child's wrist. It automatically calls for help if someone tries to remove or tamper with it.

"The child abductions really seemed to raise parents' awareness nationwide," said Thomas Franks of the Safety and Security Center, which sells Wherify watches on the Internet. "I think the whole bar got raised, not just here in San Diego, but everywhere."

Even so, executives at Wherify and Digital Angel are quick to point out that their devices were in the works for years. They said they do not want to be seen as capitalizing on the kidnappings.

Satellite Locators Track Youngsters

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