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GPS-Lined Jacket Lets Parents Track Children

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By KATE SCHUMAN, The Associated Press

Published: October 28, 2007

LONDON - Parents may worry less about losing their child - and the kid's expensive coat - with a new piece of winter wear that includes a global positioning tracker.

The jackets, released last week by the British clothing company Bladerunner, have a GPS tracking device in the lining. The device can track the jacket anywhere in the world, within 43 square feet.

'The jacket is not something that was released due to people losing their kids,' said Adrian Davis, a partner at Bladerunner. 'It was originally made for mountain climbers, skiers and snowboarders.'

Davis said the company decided to make a children's version of the jacket aimed at parents concerned about their children's safety.

Using Google Earth, users can watch the jacket wearer move. The movements are updated every 10 seconds.

But they don't need to be online to find out where the person is. Users can receive alerts to their e-mail or cell phone when the jacket leaves the boundary, meaning parents could potentially receive alerts whenever their children skipped school, left the neighborhood or went to their boyfriend's house - so long as the child was wearing the jacket.

Bladerunner, which commissioned Asset Monitoring Solutions to craft the tracking device, made headlines in the spring when it released slash-resistant clothing for children, aimed at those worried about increasing knife crime in London.

The new jacket is equipped with the slash-resistant lining. The tracking device uses a rechargeable battery that can last for about 18 hours.

A children's jacket costs $500, plus $20 a month for the tracking technology. An adult jacket costs $700.

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