Personal security will become more intimate with the Techno-Bra, a fusion of miniature electronics and conductive fabric that monitors the wearer's heart rate. If there is a sudden change in pulse indicative of a panic response, the bra transmits a radio signal that summons the local police and indicates its location.
"It's discreet, comfortable, and won't label you as vulnerable," says the garment's inventor, Kursty Groves, a recent graduate of London's Royal College of Art. In case of accidental fright, the wearer can hit a "cancel" button on the front clasp. The Techno-Bra should hit stores by Christmas 2000.
