So, you’ve gotten rid of your car, bought yourself a sweet bike, and you’re all about cycling your way around town, but you’re worried about getting your bike stolen, because bike locks really aren’t particularly strong most of the time. It’s a tricky situation, but designer Mike Lambourn has an interesting idea, and he’s looking for takers: a bike lock that contains a dye pack that explodes if the lock is cut (think like what department stores use).
This bike lock deters the opportunist thief by making the abuser’s experience as unpleasant as possible without having a detrimental effect on the user.
SmartLock is a cable lock that has cores of compressed air and liquid running through its body. If cut, the liquids spray out over the perpetrator, his tools, the bike and the scene of the crime. A bike that has been stolen will be covered in coloured dye (the dye renders the bike undesirable and therefore unsellable ) as well as transluscent Smartwater - an invisible forensic property marking liquid.[mikelambourn.com via treehugger.com]
I assume this would become a successful deterrent only once the locks became well-known enough that thieves know to avoid them. But I’m liking the idea.
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