BitLock is a new innovative smartphone-enabled bicycle lock that takes away the need for a key. The lock intuitively cuts out the key when it is set up to recognize your smartphone when it’s in close proximity. The user can just click a button on the lock to open and go.
BitLock disables itself once you are more than three feet away so nobody can tamper with the lock or make off with your bike. The app that comes with the lock also allows you to lock and unlock manually from your phone, while also bookmarking your bike’s location on your phone’s GPS so you’ll always remember where it is.
Statistics on the miles you have cycled, the calories you burned as well as the CO2 emissions you saved by opting for cycling are also gathered by the app. BitLock allows you to share the bike lock with friends, should they also have the app installed, and uses an encryption similar to online banking for security.
“My vision is to create a network of sharable objects and use the latest technology to make it easy and intuitive,” says creator Mehrdad Majzoobi of Mesh Motion Inc., who has launched a Kickstarter campaign to get BitLock and more of his technologies off the ground. “My first step in this vision is BitLock.”
The lock has a battery life of five years and is waterproof, while the app will also notify you when the battery is running low.
Irish journalist writing on business, tech and engineering.
