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CELLPHONE TECHNOLOGY: LOCAL INVENTS ANTI-HIJACKING DEVICE
Gadget could save lives DESIRÉE RORKE @dezzierorke
A
clever inventor from Brackenfell has harnessed the power of cellphone technology to curb the scourge of hijacking and motor theft in South Africa. Retired computer programmer Phred Howroyd’s desire to invent an anti-hijacking device was kindled in 2002, when a school bus transporting disabled children was hijacked in Delft, on the Cape Flats. “A little girl, about 10 years old, was shot and killed by the hijackers because she was too slow to leave the vehicle. That broke my heart. It infuriated me and I could never really get over it. But it drove me to design a system to stop hijackers,” he says. Since then he had many failed attempts at different designs, which in the end weren’t marketable. But his latest invention, called Hijack/Theft Stop, is simply ingenious and long overdue in an age where you can do almost anything on your cellphone. “So why not send a SMS to your car, in case of a hijack or theft, commanding it to cut out, make alarm, and even lock down?” he says. “This is the question I asked myself when I started work on the prototype design in 2015.” By 2016, his first prototype was ready and in August this year, Howroyd received his final patent documents from the USA and is now getting ready to market and produce his invention. “Initially I was stupified to find out that no such patent existed anywhere in the world, especially in South Africa where hijacking numbers had reached new heights,” he says. In a nutshell, the design constitutes a transceiver device with two cellphone sim cards fitted in the car, which will allow for a wireless command to be sent sent via SMS, Messenger or even a missed call from a cellphone to the vehicle to execute a specific demand. “The design is simple but foolproof – providing there is cellphone coverage in the ar-
ea,” he says. “The system is fitted into your car and wired up to several components of the engine, ready to trigger the commands you send it, within only five seconds. “In case of a hijack the motorist has two options depending on circumstances. A message sent to the first sim card will cause the car to start hooting and flashing lights while mobile. You will be notified via the system the moment the vehicle stops and the ignition is switched off, in which case the vehicle is immediately immobilised, allowing for it to be tracked down via the sim card. “A message to the second sim card will instruct the engine to cut out immediately. It also provides for a panic button and a simultaneous message will also be sent to 10 numbers in your address book, notifying them of the hijack within five seconds. “If your cellphone is stolen with the car, the system allows for multiple cellphones to call it and in case of a break in network, a secret bypass switch is built into the car. And should anyone try tamper with the system, it will also disable the engine.” Since completing his first prototype in 2016, Howroyd has modified the design somewhat, making it smaller and more compact. “I realised it was too big and I needed to alter the design. Now that it is market ready and the patent has been finalised it is all systems go to get it out to the public.” He is confident that once this system hits the market, it will be most effective in preventing hijackings. “The system gives you complete control over your vehicle, leaving the hijackers with zero chance to actually get away with the vehicle. Dangerous shoot-outs or highspeed chases will not be necessary. Not only could this save lives, but once the product becomes known to thugs, it would prevent them from targeting vehicles marked with this product.” VTo read more about this invention, go to Howroyd’s website at https://hijackstop.myportfolio.com/
11 tydskrifte + 35 koerante
Phred Howroyd with the original prototype he designed in 2016. The final design is considerably smaller and more compact. PHOTO: DESIRÉE RORKE
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