GPS kids' jacket sets boundaries--literally

GPS trackers aren't just for school uniforms anymore.

U.K. clothing manufacturer Bladerunner is out with a trackable children's jacket featuring a device that notifies you of your tyke's whereabouts by e-mail or text message.

A compact, rechargeable GPS device fits into a pouch in Bladerunner's jacket.

(Credit: Bladerunner)

The rechargeable GPS gadget fits into a pouch inside the jacket, has about a 15-hour battery life, and can track wearers within 43 square feet, reports The Guardian.

The tracker can be structured in various ways. You can, for example, configure a geo-fence and only get alerts if your kid steps outside a certain boundary, like school or the park. You can also set a curfew so the device sounds an alarm when junior has partied past his bedtime. Tracking information gets updated every 10 seconds.

The appropriately named Bladerunner specializes in equipment for police and security services, and recently started offering a school uniform in slash-proof Kevlar. For the tracking jacket, it teamed with U.K. firm Asset Monitoring Solutions (AMS), a maker of tracking and security technologies.

While some are sure to cry Big Brother on this one, Martin Taylor, sales director of AMS, insists that the benefits can cut both ways. "Kids want their independence," he told The Guardian, "and parents might be more willing to allow them to go out more on their own if they could check up on where they were from time to time and know they would be immediately informed if there was any trouble."

The children's tracking jacket costs $500, plus $20 a month for the tracking technology. An adult version of the coat (in case you want to track spouses and friends) costs $700.