The Skylock can let you share your bike with others — and it’ll send you a text if it thinks a thief has his hands on it. A San Francisco startup is launching an online funding campaign for the lock, which is planned for release in 2015. The company says it will begin “the age of connected cycling.” The lock’s connection comes via Bluetooth, which a bicycle owner can use to unlock the bike. The lock can also connect via Wi-Fi; it has the ability to send for help if the device believes you’ve suffered a bad crash. And the lock is powered by built-in solar panels.
From propane tanks to bras, sensors are making even the most basic devices in our lives more useful and convenient. The Skylock is a bicycle lock, unveiled Friday, that shows how smart an otherwise bland metal mechanism can become when it’s equipped with the right technology. For starters, the Skylock purports to do much more than protect a bike from thieves – it’s positioned as a smart device with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, accelerometers and solar-powered capabilities. Maybe the most intriguing wrinkle added by Velo Labs, the company behind the feature-packed bike lock, is the ability for Skylock owners to share their bike with anyone in their trusted network. Owners can also make money by sharing their bike with members of the Skylock community, essentially creating their own bike-share ecosystem with prices set based on demand and location.
