the savior :)

Edwin Ong takes his love affair with cars a little further to make our journeys safer,

ne lah mamat yang cipta benda alah tu..

           TWO years ago, while fixing a customer’s car at his workshop in Puchong, Edwin Ong received a call on his mobile phone. Before he could even say “hello”, a voice on the other side burst through the ear piece; “Help me Ong, help me...” followed by a cry. Ong knew it was his best friend Angela (not her real name) and that she was in trouble, but he couldn’t do anything to help as he had no idea where she was.
He tried to ask her for her location but his friend had panicked and couldn’t describe her whereabouts. To make it worse, the line was cut off.

          By the time Ong managed to call her back, it was too late. Angela was robbed by two men on a motorbike when she stopped at a street junction. The incident prompted Ong, 28, to come up with a technology solution  called EARs, short for Emergency Assistance And Response Services. It’s a service where a user presses one button on his  smartphone in case of emergency and wait for help to come.

How it started
Ong’s invention did not come out of thin air. It is the culmination of events he experienced as a mechanic.  He often received calls from friends and customers when their vehicles broke down.
“Usually, the callers could only give a vague description of their whereabouts when their cars broke down in an unfamiliar area. It’s worse if the person is in danger or in a creepy place,” says Ong.
“In an emergency, you need to get to the people in need quickly. But with vague directions, it will cause a delay that can put the person in danger.”
Popularly known as the handy guy among his friends, Sitiawan-born Ong thought hard about how he could improve existing emergency assistance services.
“It dawned on me that we could make use of the GPS function on smartphones to relay location details of the caller. This gave me the idea to manipulate the GPS feature to pinpoint the user’s location,” he says.
To simplify the service, Ong decided that a one-button smartphone facility would be an apt solution, so he put software and a call centre service into the equation.
“Once the button is pressed, a call centre will notify five people who are close to the caller and all the details on the caller’s whereabouts are relayed as GPS co-ordinates.”

From zero
The innovation route for Ong did not come easy. Firstly, he had no knowledge of computer programs. What he had was a passion for fast cars and his skills in upgrading them.
After high school, he enrolled in a local college to take up a business course, but stopped half way.
“I was engrossed with cars and motorsports. By the time I entered college, I wanted to do something else and had different goals. So I dropped out and started my motor business venture,” he says.
Luckily, his parents were supportive as long as he knew what he  wanted to do with his life.
Ong credits his father for his love for cars and motorsports.
“My father was a naval officer with an engineering background. He loves cars and upgrades and repairs them himself. I grew up watching and learning about cars from him. I guess the talent rubbed off on me,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.
His mother was a kindergarten teacher.
With the idea to simplify distress calls in mind, he bought a MacBook and learned programming online. “There are a lot of resources on the Web as long as you are keen to learn,” he  says, adding that his friends, who are skilled in programming, also guided him.
After many trials, tests and failures, Ong came out with the the first version of EARs in late 2009.
Even though not perfect, the concept worked. The program he created allows a smartphone user to press a button, instead of dialling contact numbers, in case of an emergency.
The program was refined when Ong came out with the second version last month.

How it works
EARs simplifies the process of emergency alert and notification. Just tap the icon and a signal is immediately sent within five seconds to the EARs system which identifies the user’s name and pinpoints his location via GPS.
“You will receive a call from an EARs agent within a short time frame to ascertain your condition and safety, and to confirm the emergency service or assistance you need. The agent will then contact the relevant service providers to assist you,” says Ong.
At the same time, EARs will also alert five of your closest contacts to inform them about your situation. If you are involved in an accident, EARs is also able to assist with police reporting, workshop co-ordinations for repairs and insurance claims.
In the event of a personal emergency such as a kidnapping, if the EARs app is launched and the person is not contactable by the agent, the five closest contacts are immediately alerted via SMS and one primary contact is called to act on the situation, armed with important information such as location coordinates.
Ong partners with more than 500 workshops and tow truck companies.
“Under the package, we provide RM200 worth of tow expenses regardless of how many times your car breaks down,” he says.
The free EARs program can be downloaded at iTunes by typing “earsalert2”. Ong is giving a free 30-day trial subscription.
EARs also addresses the emotional and psychological needs of individuals who are disoriented by such experiences.
“Individuals may be in shock or injured, uncertain of their whereabouts or frustrated at having to contact different parties for help” he says, adding that the application is also designed for parents who want to safeguard their children.

Flexible
To make the package flexible, there are weekly (RM5) and two-yearly subscriptions (RM130). Initially available only on iPhone,  the application also works on Androids. Ong is working on Windows and Blackberry platforms.
He hopes to provide cross-border services where people can use EARs in neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Thailand and Brunei.
“This will allow people to travel without worries,” he says.

 NST By Izwan Ismail