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A whole host of personal safety apps have been launched, but most of them rely on a user being able to operate their smartphone when they feel threatened, which may not always be possible.

Now one man has launched an inconspicuous bracelet that at the press an SOS button, alerts relatives to the whereabouts of the wearer.

The spotNsave bracelet connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth and works alongside a free app for Android handsets - with one for iPhones coming soon.

The spotNsave bracelet connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth and allows wearers to send a text message asking for help to five chosen emergency contacts, by tapping a button on the band twice

Indian engineer Chirag Jagtiani, who is behind the smart wrist band, said it ensures that someone who thinks they could be being followed, or is being threatened, can discretely call for help.

He told MailOnline: 'Many times, when faced with personal threat, it becomes almost impossible to take the smartphone out from your pocket or handbag, unlock it, and send out an emergency message.

'In such situations, the spotNsave wristband could make all the difference in broadcasting that crucial SMS with your location data to loved ones.' 

When users first set up the bracelet, they use the app (pictured) to select their five emergency contacts. The bracelet works alongside a free Android app and a version for iPhones is launching soon

To call for help, a user only needs to press the SOS button on the bracelet twice in quick succession. 

This action lets them send a text message to five emergency contacts or 'guardian angels'.

This message includes the wearer's location and also marks their coordinates on Google Maps every two minutes.

Mr Jagtiani came up with the idea for his smart band after a close friend was abducted and tortured in a case of mistaken identity, he told The Wall Street Journal.

'That incident instilled ideas in my mind as to what we could do to save someone or how someone could send out their location in an emergency,' he said.

When users first set up the bracelet, they use the app to select their five emergency contacts.

And although a call for help can be sent simply by tapping the button on the band, an emergency message can also be sent by using a linked smartphone's power button or via the app itself - much like other rival safety apps.

Mr Jagtiani told MailOnline that his target users are women, senior citizens and visually impaired people and he has found the bracelets are in demand by middle class people in developing countries.

The bracelet costs $45 (£27) including shipping and there is also a pendant version available for the same cost via the spotNsave website.

Mr Jagtiani claims that he sold 880 of them in the first two months they were available.