It’s almost universally accepted that people don’t always make the wisest of choices during their college years. Whether it’s trying out questionable substances or pulling all-nighters to finish a paper last minute, they tend to take their chances more than most mature folks. And perhaps one of the most overlooked risks college students take is walking home alone - sometimes in an impaired haze.
Abbey Titcomb, a 3rd year student at Northeastern, is no exception. She’s stumbled home on her own a share of times, which is exactly why she’s now developing a product to ensure the safety of students finding themselves in such situations. Her startup Knightly is creating a trigger-like device that clips onto your credit card or college ID, as well as an accompanying app that could prevent uncomfortable scenarios and even assaults.
"We think we’re invincible right up until an unfortunate moment when we find out we’re not.”
Students venturing out on their own may soon be able to rely on Knightly, using its two settings to mitigate potentially hostile situations. By sliding the trigger up, you’ll automatically send a text message to your preset contacts, letting them know that you don’t feel comfortable. If you’re in a more volatile position and you need someone to help you ASAP, you can slide the same device and hold it for a few seconds to alert campus police that you need immediate assistance. As an added layer of safety, Knightly’s app provides them with your whereabouts, so help can be instantly on its way.
How it came about
Titcomb drew upon her personal experiences, in addition to those of her peers, to come up with Knightly’s concept.
“It all started because it’s an issue that resonates with me,” she told me. "I was in my second year here and I was walking home alone one night when I realized, ‘Wow, this is actually dangerous.’ And so many of my friends were doing the same thing.”
“A lot of college students will walk home in the wrong state of mind,” Titcomb continued. "We think we’re invincible right up until an unfortunate moment when we find out we’re not.”
Titcomb explained that the need became more pressing and more real as she followed the developments of the Hannah Graham case, in which a UVA student was murdered en route to meeting her friends at a party one night. Mix that in with some regular alerts of early morning attacks on Huntington Avenue, and Titcomb knew she had to find a solution to this growing problem.
It’s not like there’s a shortage of products that address these safety concerns already available. But Titcomb explained that none of them are geared toward college kids, which is a very particular user demographic.
“None of the solutions out there make sense for college kids, who - let’s admit it - are usually coming home drunk,” Titcomb said. "They’re too expensive - $60 or more. I know that I’m lazy, cheap and I’m not going to buy those on my own.”
“I’ve asked my friends what they’re doing to protect themselves while they’re walking home from parties,” she added. "A lot of them say they keep their phones on and in their hands the entire time in case they need to call someone. But when I’ve asked them if they had campus police’s number in their phones, none of them would.”
Students and universities both reap the benefits
What makes Knightly unique is that every aspect has been designed by a college kid. Titcomb understands what goes through the minds of her users, so she’s thinking of ways to make it more usable for the student populace.
She elaborated that, “There have been two criteria I’ve kept in mind during product design: 1. Could it have helped Hannah Graham? and 2. Would it be something I’d actually use?”
Additionally, Knightly differs in that it’s marketed to universities. Titcomb said that students won't invest time or money in ensuring their personal safety, but schools will. Universities care about well-being of their students and they make building a safe community a top priority.
“It’s not only a safety device for students,” she clarified. "It’s also a tool for universities, for them to bring their campus police closer to students. A lot of times, students don’t want to call their campus police because they’re intimidated or scared. We’re hoping to help universities break that stigma and reassure students the campus police is there for them."
When will universities and students be able to get their hands on Knightly? It’s unsure right now, but the company is on its third generation of prototyping. Titcomb said they’re aiming to make their product available to at least a sample of Northeastern’s next freshman class. They're hoping to work exclusively with Northeastern first, so they can strengthen the product and prove its value before moving on to other colleges.
Images provided.
