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USB key gives vital rider medical details

ICE USB emergency USB

A rider died without his family by his side six hours after arriving in hospital because the medical authorities had no idea who to contact.

This was the scenario that inspired 40-year riding veteran Tony Walton of Perth to address the situation and save some lives.

Tony Ward with his ICE USB emergency USB
Tony Ward with his ICE USB

His invention is the ICEmergency USB which you can keep in your jacket pocket, attached to your keyring or placed around your neck with a lanyard.

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It includes vital medical and contact information that can be used by first responders and/or hospital staff.

“About 12 months ago I had this idea. It came from a conversation I had with an emergency department nurse,” Tony says.

“She was telling me how much time she wasted trying to track down the ID and family of a rider that had been involved in an accident and he wasn’t able to be ID’d. She told me that he died after about six hours and the family could have been with him, but they couldn’t find them.

“It just seemed bloody obvious to me at the time that a form of ID with emergency contact details and medical details is vitally important.”ice emergcency USB

The cost of safety

The ICEmergency USB costs $19.95 and the lanyard is $3.95.

The USB is coloured red, the universal colour for emergencies, and is laser-engraved with the “ICEmergency” logo which is an internationally known term for In Case of Emergency.

Most ambulances now have tablets, rather than laptops, that do not have USB connections. However, this medical information can be accessed by emergency ward hospital staff.

The USB was originally produced in the shape of a key, but has been updated to a round USB.Tony Walton with his ICEmergency USB key with medical information and emergency contact details

The keys, while good, are more suited to car drivers,” Tony says. “When a rider comes off, his bike may be quite a distance away. So you can wear it on a lanyard under your jacket and when emergency workers arrive they can’t help but notice it.”

Vital medical information

The USB includes three emergency phone contacts and the rider’s important medical details. They can include allergies to anaesthetics and whether they are taking any medications that may interfere with his emergency treatment.

Tony says the rider’s family can be notified by police while hospital emergency department staff will know what treatment is suitable for the patient.

The ICEmergency USB holds a single pre-loaded file which will take less than two minutes for the rider to fill in with relevant details.

“It took me 12 months to get the Patent Pending and Trademark sorted and getting the design right and manufactured,” says Tony, 56, a semi-retired marketing strategist.ice emergcency USB

*Riders are advised to keep their records with them whenever they ride. Apart from this USB, there are also smart phone apps, wrist bands, ID cards for your wallet and stickers for your helmet or bike that you can use. Anything and everything is better than nothing.

  1. The idea is good, but I never keep my ignition key on a key ring or bunch of keys so that I don’t have unnecessary weight on the ignition switch and don’t scratch the area surrounding it. Same goes for the car; unnecessary weight on the ignition key can eventually wear out the ignition switch (I’ve had it happen, some decades ago). Anyway, I’m sure a prominent place could be found for the USB key, such as on a jacket zip tag or such-like. ICE stands for “In Case of Emergency”.

  2. i wear a medi alert tag around my neck [warfarin] and if i am travelling
    a list of medications in my wallet. No good on your keyring your
    bike could end up a long way from where you are

  3. Nice idea but it’s a fail. The list of problems is long and significant.
    One was already mentioned but here’s another , damage to the key due to the accident as well as wear and tear of everyday life, I have several others that I can mention if anyone wants.
    Note I give this idea for free only on the condition that price be kept to operating and development costs only not for profit in other words.
    A better alternative is a personal Q’Code you know those square barcode thingies that you take a picture of with a mobile phone or tablet. they can be printed on stickers to place on your helmet and bike and etched on to a key fob or tag as well as necklaces and bracelets.
    Operation is pretty much the same as the key device except there are no issues like not having a USB port accessible or lost keys or having them go off to the wrecker with the bike.
    Cyber security is an issue so the information needs to be limited to public and private so police and health care providers would need a secure login to access more than a persons name and phone number.

    1. Hello Al.
      As the inventor of the device, I disagree with your opinion that it is a fail.
      Police cars, ambulances and hospitals all have computers, so usb accessibility is not a problem. I’ve had a test key on my house keys for the past 6 months, another one with my bike key, again, no problems. I’ve also bent the key at 90 degrees and it still works.
      Cybersecurity is also not an issue. I’ve been informed that all Police, Ambulance and Hospital computers have up to date anti virus software.
      The USB file holds you name and phone number only. It also holds the names and contact numbers for 3 emergency contacts and any allergy and medications you’re taking. In fact I warn people NOT to put addresses etc on the file so identity theft does not become an issue. Ok, the ICEmergency usb is not a be all and end all, but I believe it will save lives. It’s a helluva better than having no ID or emergency contact info if you come off your bike. I think your idea of a Q code is a good one, IF it was available and IF people wanted to stick stickers on their helmet and IF emergency personnel had Q code readers and IF they knew that the Q code was an emergency contact detail device. The term ICE is internationally known by emergency responders.

      I hope you win one so you can see for yourself that this little gadget actually works and is well worth the effort of putting it on a ring with your bike key.
      Safe Riding mate
      Tony .

      1. Sorry I was a bit blunt but it’s still a fail.
        IT security protocols often disable access the to usb ports on police and hospital computers. Q-Code is now a common well known app for any smartphone or tablet if you look through any magazine you probably find an ad with a Q’Code on it. Many hospitals are going to tablets for use in ERs most tablets don’t have usb, most people have a smartphone or tablet now.
        USB devices often cover the contacts because it is the contacts that can be damaged making the device useless.
        The amount and type of information available from a Q’Code is vast ,many times that of a barcode but what you make public is what is important.
        There are tiny usb memory sticks available small enough to fit in a locket or bracelet engraved with ICE In Case of Emergency . I offered the Q’Code idea freely so you can use it or not.
        Regards Al

        1. Al is right.
          Having worked in IT for 15 years i have seen numerous USB drives fail with PHD’s and honours thesis’ on them.
          As they are electronic memory once they loose the data it is lost forever. No recovery tool will be able to access it.
          As my boss says a usb drive has two states, failed and about to fail.

  4. putting it on your keyring is only one option. It could be on a chain round your neck, in your pocket,or wallet. There are plenty of places us first aiders look for I.D. on a safety chain to your jacket. On the bike is not necessarily a good idea as someone said, often the bike is away from the rider and as its injuries are less important than the riders it is usually left alone until cleanup.

  5. In case of emergency.

    A qr code could just as easily be damaged if exposed during an accident. Both qr codes and usb keys have their merits and their problems. Nothing is 100% foolproof.

  6. In Case of Emergency.

    You should also have a contact on your phone named “ICE” with your loved one’s number. My phone also has my wife’s name and mobile number on the lock screen with the message “If found please call..”

  7. Ok, many of these portable ID things are of little use to first responders as it will be a photo licence that puts beyond all doubt as to the next step in who they are treating.

    This is because motorcycles, keys, helmets and other riding gear can be lent to another person.

    Now a suggestion on a solution to this USB key idea that will add some cost and may not work because of its size.
    Place a photo of the rider instead of the red background on the key.

    And while I’m here something to stir the pot on both sides of the fence
    Allow us to make sticker copies of our licence to attach to riding gear and allow us to edit our online license info to add critical information available only to Emergency life saving personnel.

    Yeah yeah, can of worms but the government has most this info already or do some people believe they don’t.

    1. MedicReady has just released a range of Motor Bike, Patient, and Vehicle Drivers’ I.C.E. Accident and Emergency Kits; each with 5 items, and with and I.C.E. Token / Keyring made of metal too – not plastic. At only $30 each (which includes FREE Australia-Wide POSTAGE) these are must for every Motorbike Rider. The following YouTube news report will give you an idea of what you get. See our MedicReady Social Platform Pages too: – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH_BZmorGh8

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