Skylock solar powered lock seeks funding

Is this this future of bicycle locks? The Skylock is a solar powered lock packed with technology, including Bluetooth and WiFi so you can lock and unlock it from your smartphone, and the ability to alert its owner if somebody is trying to steal your bike.

You don’t need any keys or a good memory with this lock, Skylock uses Bluetooth 4.0 so you can use a smartphone app to lock and unlock it. You can even use Auto-Unlock so when you get close to your locked up bike it will automatically unlock, just like the latest cars with keyless entry. Don’t worry, if your phone battery goes flat because you’ve been playing Angry Birds too much, there is a backup combination lock.

Accelerometers are used to alert its owner if somebody is tampering with the lock. To do that you connect the Skylock to a local WiFi network, so you can stay connected to it at all times. Even if you’re 10 floors up in your office. The sensitivity of the accelerometer can be adjusted so the slightest movement doesn’t set it off.

The other neat trick the Accelerometers can be used for is to alert for help if you have a crash while riding. They respond to the impact and if you don’t do anything within a certain time period the Skylock can send for help.

And that’s why it’s solar powered, so the battery powering the Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity doesn’t go flat. The solar panel is arranged on the outside of the lock and charges the internal battery. According to their claims it only needs one hour of sunlight to power it for a week. Could be tricky in the British winter mind. Which is why it’s just as well they’ve thought about that, and added a USB port so you can charge it from the mains or your computer.

Sounds good doesn’t it? We’re impressed. You can’t buy it just yet though, they’re currently seeking crowd funding to the tune of $50,000, but provided they meet their goal they will be shipping in early 2015. You can pre-order one now for $139 for a limited time, after which it rises to $249. You’re going to have to factor in shipping costs of course.

Check it out at http://skylock.cc/