It seems the cruellest and most unnecessary of deaths – to be crushed in the midst of a crowd. But even in the 21st Century such deaths are still common, as a stampede at a recent Hindu festival in India, which killed about 115 people, proved all too sadly. Horror quickly turned to anger as the Indian media reported that better crowd management could have prevented the tragedy. But can technology also play a role in making sure that such disasters are not repeated?