Reuters — A team of engineers from South Korean have re-designed the bicycle lock into a small circular device installed on the hub of the front wheel.
The Bisecu bicycle lock aims to take the hassle out of safeguarding your bike, eliminating the need to carry a bulky and often heavy locking device. Its novel circular design also means that it cannot be cut or tampered with like typical bike locks.
Once connected to the owner’s smart phone via Bluetooth, keyless entry can be triggered when the user approaches the bike, and Bisecu locks automatically when the user leaves. Any would-be thief who attempts to ride off with the bike will find the front wheel frozen in position. A 100 db (decibel) alarm will also be triggered and the owner notified on their phone that the bike is being tampered with.
“Bisecu smart bike lock stays on the front wheel and connects to your phone via Bluetooth. So if I lock the bike then the front wheel is fixed and there are sensors in the lock that go off if someone tries to tamper with the bike,” Bisecu’s Siri Sung told Reuters at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona where the device was previewed recently.
“First there’s Bluetooth connectivity with your phone, it also has a military-grade encryption so that it can’t be hacked. In terms of the locking mechanism, it is patent-pending, but it’s similar to how a door is locked,” she added.
The Bisecu smart bike lock stays attached to the front wheel, but is light enough not to slow riders down. The developers believe it’s the lightest smart bike lock to date, weighing only 350g (0.77lbs) – a quarter of the weight of the conventional U-lock, and it’s small enough to fit in the palm of the hand. Inside, sensors include an accelerometer and gyroscope.
“It’s the lightest smart bike lock currently. It’s also the only bike lock that can’t be cut. So most locks, the lock is cut and the (bike) ridden off. This has been designed purposely in the shape of a cylinder so it can’t be cut, the locking mechanism is hidden so it’s harder to break in to,” said Siri, adding that while other locks are mostly made of steel, the outer casing of Bisecu is made of aluminium alloy and can withstand hammering.
The lock is compatible with most bicycles, such as road, hybrid, pixie, and mini velos. However, it is not currently compatible with bicycles with disc brakes. Installing it takes about 10 minutes. Waterproof and weather resistant, it has a six month battery life under normal use.
Once it’s unlocked and the user starts riding, Bisecu transitions into a cycling computer, providing data such as distance travelled, speed, and calories burnt. This information is relayed in real-time to the rider’s phone screen.
The Bisecu smart bike lock made its debut at the 2017 MWC. The makers are planning to launch a crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter later this year and hope the product will ship to customers by the end of the year.
