Buddi - Keeping track of vulnerable people through technology.

Individuals with autism vary widely in ability and personality. While some children prefer isolation and tend to withdraw from social contact, others display high levels of enjoyment in social situations.
Whatever the individual, parents of children with autism urge them to lead a near independent life as possible. One of the ways to help do this is through the use of the buddi, a discrete device designed to give security to vulnerable people and peace of mind to those close to them.

Buddi was created by 39-year-old Sara Murray, from London, after her daughter Rowena went temporarily missing in a Sainsbury’s supermarket some years ago and she realised there was nothing invented which would help her have a peace of mind if Ro ever went missing again. Sara believed there must be a better way.

Each buddi unit is the size of a match-box and designed to be discretely worn or carried voluntarily on a key ring or necklace so that its whereabouts can be pinpointed anywhere in the UK within seconds.  The service enables the wearer to alert friends, relatives or carers, if they need help via an emergency call centre, by simply pressing a button on the side of the unit.

Unlike mobile phone technology, the GPS buddi service provides accuracy to within a few feet. Importantly this can be accessed by parents, friends or carers via a mobile phone, laptop or pc which provides an instant location on a detailed map.  Each buddi unit works continuously for 48 hours and can be charged overnight using its own charger via a standard electricity socket.  

The increased safety and independence and has been hailed as a major step forward in personal safety by organisations such as the National Autistic Society.   The buddi has also recently been adopted by a number of UK councils who use the device for their lone workers and vulnerable individuals.

Sara hopes buddi will become an everyday service for many families who just want to ensure their children, parents or even grandparents can be located instantly, whenever needed.
The buddi service can be activated for a monthly subscription of £20 per month and a one-off fee of £299 for the purchase of the unit, available in black, silver and blue.

For more information, please visit www.buddi.co.uk.

Our experiences with Buddi

We have found the device surprisingly easy to get along with. The technology seems daunting but whenever we have rung them we have found their service to be first class.

In simple terms - if we are in a situation where we could potentially become separated from our daughter, we can call a number and someone will help us to find her by tracking the device which she is wearing. We can also do a search through the internet and I even got to grip with finding the device using my web enabled phone.

When you stop and think about just how vulnerable these children (and adults!) are, it does not take long to justify this device.