|
Tendler Cellular was formed in 1996 to adapt GPS
and speech chip technology to cell phones so that
with the touch of a 911 button a verbal emergency
message "tells" the police or EMTs the location of
a stricken individual.
The FoneFinder system offers a universal,
no-infrastructure, instantly deployable and
inexpensive solution to the cellular 911 problem in
which there are over 20 million cellular 911 calls
a year in the U.S.. According to both APCO
(Association of Public Safety Communications
Officers) and NENA (The National Emergency Numbers
Association) it takes on average at least ten
minutes to locate a cellular caller, even if they
think they know where they are.
Tendler Cellular provides a chip set which is
integrated into a cell phone along with a GPS
receiver to provide help fast. The FoneFinder chip
sets are due to be available in Audiovox and Nokia
cell phones: and integrated into hands free cradle
kits for Motorola flip phones. The technology was
originally developed for the boating market when
the inventor Bob Tendler joint ventured with
Shakespeare, Inc. to provide a Mayday mike marine
VHF radio. In response to a request from the Coast
Guard, Tendler Cellular developed a FoneFinder chip
set that would adapt a cellular phone to provide
the synthetic voice emergency signaling offered by
the Mayday Mike Version.
The urgent request came from the Coast Guard in
view of the massive use of cellular phones by
boaters , and because the Coast Guard had no way of
locating the emergency calls from the boating
public.
|