A navigation app that guides you down the most brightly lit route

Taking an advanced approach to smartphone mapping apps, Rudder helps users find the best-lit path for their journey home. The team behind Rudder has collated street lighting data from various cities, predominantly in the US, to prioritise safety over speed. Developed with university students in mind, Michigan graduates Hannah Dow and Steve Coffey developed the app to ensure users felt more secure when walking home at night.

While the app is currently in Beta stage, the final version is expected to include turn-by-turn notifications, as well as a link that lets users share their route with concerned family and friends. "Young students often have a hard time getting their bearings," says co-creator Hannah Dow. "We're hoping that students will use our app not just to help them get to know their environments, but to make smarter decisions about where they are walking, especially at night."

Channelling the importance of safety, developers are coming up with more inventive ways to provide reassurance. Last year, a Dutch development team came up with the concept of PosturAroma; a perfumed necklace set to enhance the wearer’s sense of safety through improved posture. Using prevention as a tool of self-defence, Rudder is helping members of the public one step at a time.