With rape rife in the region, Caribbean women will be heartened to hear that a solution is in sight thanks to a team of committed engineering students in India.

In a nutshell, the team has designed what is unquestionably the world’s most electrifying lingerie, primed to deliver “the shock of his life” – literally – to any potential attacker.

According to a report in The Times of India, the underwear was designed by three engineering students who were “disgusted” by recent rape attacks in their country.

The lingerie attachment, named “SHE” – short for “Society Harnessing Equipment” – is intended to offer wearers “freedom from situations faced in public places”.

In pursuit of this goal, the device contains a mobile GPS capable of transmitting alerts to police and family members, as well as a self-defence mechanism that packs a powerful jolt.

“A person trying to molest a girl will get the shock of his life the moment pressure sensors get activated, and the GPS and GSM modules would send an SMS on emergency number 100, as well as to parents of the girl,” Manisha Mohan, co-developer of the innovation, said.

The 3800kV electric shocks are triggered by pressure sensors woven into the fabric of the clothing and can be emitted up to 82 times.

To protect the wearer, the inner side of the garment is lined with an insulating polymer.

The inventors told techpedia.in that they had decided to place the pressure-sensors and electrical circuit in the bra instead of the underpants as discussions with victims and law enforcement agencies revealed most women were attacked first on their bosom.

The three students from the SRM University in Chennai are putting the finishing touches to their invention ahead of its commercial release.

“I have approached a friend in National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to help me find the right kind of fabric for the product so that it can be washed,” Mohan said.

“We have used technologies which are being used in day to day life (GPS, GSM, pressure sensors) in our innovation to bring a simple solution to this serious problem existing in our society,” she added.

The team’s two female engineers released a statement explaining the motivation behind their device.

“Studying in a convent girls’ school, we were always taught to be good to everyone around and bear a cheerful smile. After stepping into the real, cruel world we realized that our smile could not last for long as the threat to our purity and integrity always lingered on,” it said.

The device has been nominated for a Gandhian Young Technological Innovation award.