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Last year we wrote about this Korean app that enabled expectant mothers to alert those sitting in priority seating. A similar app was launched on Monday in the UK, helping pregnant women get a seat on public transport.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdUpLFGrQ6A

Babee on Board comprises two companion apps: Request Seat and Offer Seat. The Request Seat app contains an alert button that automatically notifies those nearby with the Offer Seat app that there is someone who needs to sit down. Although the Request app costs £3.99, all the proceeds are donated to a children’s charity. The developers have made it clear that the fee is required to prevent the app being abused by pranksters. “We would rather give it away for free but we need to ensure there’s a barrier so people don’t download it for free and troll those around them” explained Hew Leith, chief executive of 10X, the British innovation consultancy behind the app. The Offer Seat app is free and once downloaded it never needs to be opened, using less than 1% of battery life. The two apps communicate via Bluetooth so that they still work when underground.

10X are now looking to integrate Babee on Board with third-party apps, removing the need to download the Offer Seat app. Could this technology be used to help the elderly too?