Dorchy was windsurfing off the coast of Sal, an island off Cape Verde, in 2015 when disaster struck. “The fin of my surfboard fell off. Without a fin, such a surfboard is practically uncontrollable. It was impossible to reach the shore.”
Miles from the coast and without a smartphone, which, according to the businessman, hadn’t been able to find a signal, Dorchy thought he wouldn’t survive the night. “Suddenly a boat with night divers showed up out of nowhere. They saved my life.”
Works anywhere on Earth
After the incident, Dorchy decided never to take such a big risk again without having a backup plan. “I needed a reliable device designed for all kinds of adventures, all over the world.”
This is how he came up with the idea of the O-BOY, a watch that can call emergency services and contacts anywhere in the world in case of an emergency. “When I first proposed the idea, I could immediately count on a lot of enthusiasm.”
Dorchy gave up his ‘comfortable’ career as a lawyer to set up a start-up. Three years later, the O-BOY is ready to be launched on the market.
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Designed for emergencies
The O-BOY watch can transmit signals anywhere in the world via satellite connection, without the need for a smartphone. “That means no place is out of O-BOY’s reach, whether it’s in the middle of the ocean or atop a mountain.”
The company offers various satellite services. Users can forward a pre-written message to contacts, along with current GPS coordinates, through the GetMe service. That message can be edited even when there is no internet connection, by connecting via Bluetooth to the O-BOY smartphone app.
When the situation is more urgent, such as if a user has been injured or is in danger of drowning, the RescueMe service can be used. An SOS signal is then sent to emergency services in the region along with GPS coordinates.
Track live location
Finally, there is the TrackMe feature. This allows users to pass on their live location to contacts. Users can choose whether they send a signal in intervals of 5, 20 or 60 minutes.
All these services are not free, by the way. Customers can to elect between single-use GetMe credits, or monthly and annual subscriptions for the TrackMe and RescueMe features.
According to Dorchy, the watch itself is dustproof and resistant to shocks. Also, the watch can be used up to about ten meters underwater ‘and maybe more’. The O-BOY’s battery would last about a week, or enough to send a minimum of 48 messages.
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Kickstarter goal met
From Kickstarter van O-BOY has already reached its goal after a few days. On the page, interested parties can pre-order for 265 euros each for the early birds. The retail price will eventually increase: 395 euros.
With the money raised Dorchy hopes to expand the current team of three people, so that production capacity can be started up. The company could have already bought enough parts to make a thousand watches. Dorchy said: “The success of our Kickstarter campaign brings us one step closer to our goal of bringing O-BOY to market and saving lives.”
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