App that lets you virtually accompany your loved ones

New York: Feeling nervous while sending your child somewhere alone at night? Worry not, as now you can virtually walk with your loved ones all the way to their destination, thanks to a new app.

The app, called Companion, lets you follow your loved one's GPS coordinates on a map displayed on your cell phone, Discovery News reported.

The app taps into the phone's built-in sensors to also detect changes in movement. For example, if the walker stops moving or pulls out his or her headphones, the app will alert the companion.

The app was created by Michigan University students when searching for a way to feel safer during late-night walks back to their apartments or dorms.

The app, which was launched for the public just two weeks ago, already has more than 500,000 new users. For extra safety, the app also lets companions call the police if they do not receive confirmation that the walker is okay within 15 seconds of a change in movement.

The app will also signal an alert on the walker's phone, displaying siren-like sounds and displaying a button for the walker to call the police.

The app connects walkers to companions when the walker texts a link to the person among his contact list that he has chosen to walk him home virtually.

Walkers can also select to send an "I feel nervous" alert to a companion on their list, prompting the companion to follow a route remotely.