Igatha
Infrastructure
emergency signaling
SHOW HN2025
How HN took it
7 positive, 27 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 6 critical, out of 41 comments about the project. Thread score +0.06.
Idea: 4 for, 6 againstExecution: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Good idea that makes use of technology for disasters
From 2 comments
This is awesome. Technology put to good use. Can voice be transferred? Message be recorded and rebroadcasted? What about making the device vibrate SOS pulses. The person at stake…
keyle on HNThis is awesome. Technology put to good use. Can voice be transferred? Message be recorded and rebroadcasted? What about making the device vibrate SOS pulses. The person at stake…
keyle on HN
Offline disaster tools are needed, as shown by Hurricane Helene
From 1 comment
This is great. That said, I think that unless Apple and Google install something like this by default, it won’t get much traction, because you can’t download the app when you…
dimal on HN
Objections
BLE signals are weak through rubble; physics limits range
From 2 comments
> It can also be improved; I know BLE is not _that_ effective under rubble. It's a tough problem to solve because you're up against the laws of physics and the very boring (and…
eddythompson80 on HNDo smart phones support "LE Long Range (Coded PHY, S=8)" Perplexity says it can transmit up to a 1km in ideal conditions. Otherwise it's 10-30m indoor.
neuroelectron on HN
Phones must have the app installed beforehand, so adoption is hard
From 1 comment
This is great. That said, I think that unless Apple and Google install something like this by default, it won’t get much traction, because you can’t download the app when you…
dimal on HN
Background disaster detection could chirp noise unexpectedly
From 1 comment
Okay, what is "disaster detection"? I'd really prefer my phone not chirp noise over Bluetooth channels if I don't notice and respond to a notification in time. Would be nice if…
daveguy on HN
Requests
Vibration or tapping-based signaling
From 2 comments
This is awesome. Technology put to good use. Can voice be transferred? Message be recorded and rebroadcasted? What about making the device vibrate SOS pulses. The person at stake…
keyle on HNBLE might be useful above ground in some situations, e.g., a person who is unable to stand and is located in a large field of tall grass, or someone who is hiding from an…
rapjr9 on HN
Background listening with notifications
From 1 comment
People, nearby, with the app installed who open it during a disaster. That's why it needs to be in more hands. Ideally, there would be an option to have your phone "listen" in…
nizarmah on HN
Loud sound button with volume control
From 1 comment
It would be nice to have a button to play a loud sound. A common use case is to play it when you are under ruin and you hear rescuers close to you. If the rescuers heard a loud…
lormayna on HN
Embed the feature at OS or hardware level
From 2 comments
this is good but ideally people want this app/platform to be embedded in hardware/OS level
tonyhart7 on HNThis is great. That said, I think that unless Apple and Google install something like this by default, it won’t get much traction, because you can’t download the app when you…
dimal on HN
Questions
Who receives the SOS signal?
From 1 comment
What's not clear to me is, who's listening? Like if I install this app and I get buried under a crumbled building and send out the SOS signal... Are there any receivers???
weikju on HN
Can voice be transferred or rebroadcast?
From 1 comment
This is awesome. Technology put to good use. Can voice be transferred? Message be recorded and rebroadcasted? What about making the device vibrate SOS pulses. The person at stake…
keyle on HN
Does LE Long Range work on smartphones?
From 1 comment
Do smart phones support "LE Long Range (Coded PHY, S=8)" Perplexity says it can transmit up to a 1km in ideal conditions. Otherwise it's 10-30m indoor.
neuroelectron on HN
Alternatives named
Meshtastic and LoRa devices
From 1 comment
This is cool! I have been really enjoying using Meshtastic and LoRa lately. It feels like a blessed relief from the toxic swamp of the regular internet. I love pinging stupid…
pjs_ on HN
Apple Connect to a Satellite and Android satellite emergency services
From 2 comments
This is something I needed to hear for months. Thank you. I'll work towards that. I'll need to figure out how to prove the poc is useful. Apple's "Connect to a Satellite" touches…
nizarmah on HNSatellite based emergency services are already enabled in recent Android phones. I know that only because recently I have been getting a notification on my Pixel 9 Pro that…
INTPenis on HN
Avalanche beacons
From 1 comment
Check out the tech behind avalanche beacons for some inspiration. They are meant to locate bodies buried deep in snow debris fields within a meter precision. You have to also…
boc on HN