Sentlive’s core concept is about the reassurance that comes from regular contact with your connections, confirming that they are present and connected. It also provides the reassurance that, if assistance is needed, your connections can all be alerted simultaneously.

The Checks feature allows “prompted reassurance”: you can send one-off or recurring Checks to any one of your connections. These would normally result in a CALM response. A Signal alerts those connected that either something is not normal for the sender, or it may have been sent in error, while a No Response alert is exactly that — there was no response to the Check. It will be up to the connections to decide what action, if any, should be taken.

How people use Sentlive is up to them and their connections. Their needs and circumstances will differ, so the ways they use the system will differ too. Some might use Sentlive to follow a regular journey, such as an adult’s commute to work or a child’s journey to or from school, while others might use it to provide reassurance about older relatives who live independently, and vice versa. There are many possible applications. For examples of the many ways Sentlive can be used, see Sentlive Use Scenarios.

The Concept In Practice #

The overriding goal was to achieve the concept in a practical way that anyone of any age would be able to use, which meant that it had to be as simple as possible, and that is how the Crew Button was born, and adapted to the Loop and Stints buttons. One click/tap for CALM, and hold for Signal, as simple as that. There are obviously visual aids to enhance this, with the button changing colour (Green = CALM, Red = Signal), and the relevant words showing as well, plus the audio component as well, so there is a different sound depending on the action taken, which can be turned off if preferred.