Graduate made road safety app gets the green light
Bachelor of Media Design graduate, Ace Lio, gets funding for his app Whistlebox: A mobile app that can help manage stress in difficult situations, especially road rage.
Earlier this year Ace Lio made headlines (Stuff, Newshub) with his road safety app; Whistlebox. Created as his end-of-year capstone project within the Bachelor of Media Design (Interactive Design), the app proved itself to be a project that could not just remain hypothetical.
"Whistlebox started as a personal project of mine. Finding a solution to calm my road rage whenever my son wasn't with me was a constant struggle for years, involving too many near misses to count. I could have really hurt others as well as myself. I believe that without this struggle, this wouldn't be the story that got out and sparked the attention and conversation it has. The story became personal for so many people all over the world, and that's when I knew I needed to make it work."
So how does the app work? To put it simply, "it catches stress before it escalates into anger" by monitoring your heart-rate using Fitbit. This then triggers calming features, such as soothing music or familiar pre-loaded voices. In addition to this, the app can also be used to meditate, track health/physical stats, and form new positive habits.
Interact with the prototype here.
Ace continues to tell the story of Whistlebox.
"When my doctor got wind of it, he set me up with an philanthropist straight away, who helped fund it. We have started building an IOS version which will be followed by Android at a later stage. The Apple platform will be released before Christmas. It will pair with Mi Band 2 (Fitbit) and iWatch 3. All revenue will go into a trust and money from there will go to a charity of our choice."
In regards to his study at Media Design School, here is a little bit about his experience.
"My latter years spent at Media Design School taught me ‘how to be relevant’ in a tech world engaged by poignant savvy teenagers. I was a brave 50 year old family man trying to be job ready. I was the first person in my family to ever pursue a degree. The first week was hard, especially starting with a bunch of high-school leavers, but to be honest, the culture ended up having a placebo effect on me. I really applied myself well under pressure and came out a better person."
To follow Whistlebox and Ace's ventures, please click the links below:
Portfolio: http://acelio.co.nz
Website: https://whistlebox.care
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Whistlebox-417310645381019/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whistlebox.care/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/whistle_box
