Abstract
In the future, emergency calls to the number 911 in North America will include the ability to make video calls with 911 call centers yet little is known about how to design such technologies, so they map to people’s real emergency needs. We explore this design space by investigating systems that can allow 911 callers to stream a surreptitious video call of an assailant. This paper explores a specific scenario where the person trapped may not be in direct danger from the assailant but is still present in the vicinity. We introduce ‘Covert-Glass’, technology enhanced glasses that aid callers to conduct a surreptitious 911 video call. The glasses guide a person to control the direction of his/her phone camera based on the 911 operator’s input. 911 call takers send remote signals to the user’s device and these appear as haptic vibrations on either side of the glasses.
