Bike theft is a real issue, particularly in Loughborough where many students use bicycles as their means of getting around. Even with bike locks in place, huge numbers of bicycles are stolen from campus or from around town. This is not merely a Loughborough problem, bike theft is a problem in nearly every city and town around the world.
In order to combat this problem, Daniel Idzkowski has co-created an invention named SkunkLock: a bike lock that makes you vomit if you attempt to cut into it. According to the Telegraph, the lock is filled with a noxious chemical that typically induces vomit and permanently ruins any clothes it makes contact with. The instinct is then to, obviously for the thief, distance themselves from the chemical rather than continuing to steal the bike.
Furthermore, according to the designer of the product, stolen bikes are only worth 1/10th of the original value therefore in some cases, replacing the clothes the thief is wearing would be more expensive than the profit from re-selling the bike.
The product is not yet available for sale: the inventors are currently crowdfunding but hope that they will be ready by next summer. Whilst it is a good idea, it has not been explained how long the chemical remains in the air, and whether it could affect unsuspecting passersby.
Do you think this is a good idea or a step too far? Let us know in the comments below, and for more ‘One for the Weekend’ articles, check out the Label website!
– By Ellie MacKenzie, News Editor
