Griffin Doherty, a runner himself, said the idea grew out of his own concern while training on trails and roads.
"I'm a runner, and I was always worried about what was behind me. I'm always looking over my shoulder because there's either a mountain bike coming up behind me or a car. And so it's a big problem that not only I face, but a lot of other people face," Doherty said.
To address that problem, Doherty helped develop the PAXEV Running Radar, a wearable device designed to give runners more awareness of their surroundings.
"This is actually the device without the cover. So our prototype uses radar technology, and it alerts you to people, cars or bikes from up to 100 feet away with a strong vibration," he said.
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Doherty said the technology fills a gap he believes exists in the current market.
"Yeah, so currently there's not really anything similar. Because if you're a runner, you care about things that are the same size as you or that could maybe be coming up from behind you, not just cars," he said
Safety concerns for pedestrians remain an issue in the South Bay.
There have been eight pedestrian deaths in San Jose this year, 21 cases last year, including the tragic death of Adela Naldoza.
As he worked on the device, Doherty said those situations were on his mind.
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"This is going to give runners more awareness. And, you know, there are a lot of times where you're running on a trail or running on the road and the cyclist will just blaze right by you. And so this is really going to help prevent some of those accidents," he said.
Doherty said what began as a personal solution has grown into a broader mission. He also pointed to a nationwide Adidas survey that found 92% of women who run are concerned about safety while running.
He said the name PAXEV reflects that goal.
"'Pax' is Latin for peace. And 'EV' is short for everywhere. So peace of mind everywhere is sort of our mission," Doherty said.
Doherty said he hopes the PAXEV Running Radar will be available to runners later this year. He said his team is running a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the official testing required before the product can launch.