Over this past spring break we had some amazing weather so I made the most of it by doing a LOT of biking. Each trip I brought a bike lock in order to leave my bike outside. This got the idea of locks on my mind and brought me to writing this post. Locks can be very annoying and can present many issues. Another thing this spring break brought was a week without having to use my bathroom locker lock. I got back and my first trip for a shower resulted in my having to go back to my room to dig up where I have the combination numbers stored because I couldn’t remember what the numbers were after multiple days of not using the lock. So something different I’m going to do is focus on lock rather than a specific lock because I want to explore two different locks that I feel are both interesting to inspect and each have their differences. These locks are TappLock and Noke (no key).
So the first lock I’m going to talk about is TappLock. The big aspect of this lock is the fact there is no number combination to worry about, instead all that is required to open it is to simply tap it. What this company aimed for in developing this product was a way to keep your stuff safe without worrying about carrying a key, combination code, or a smartphone with you in order to open it. This smart device instead uses something that you will never be without, your fingerprint.
This is an extremely smart idea in my opinion. Each person has their own, unique fingerprint that isn’t replicated. So by using this as the way to access your lock then really no one else can gain entry. What I also find very cool is that this lock is very quick! What I would expect is having to hold your fingerprint on a sensor and wait and wait until it finally unlocks but as the name states, all that is needed is a simple tap on the sensor your fingerprint is quickly identified to unlock the lock. Another cool feature is that you can even import your friends’ fingerprint to your lock through a cell phone application. This way if your friend needs access to a locker of your then you can simply grab your phone and okay them to have access for whatever time frame you want. And at any point the access can be removed. The one problem I do have with this product it that it’s battery powered so if the battery dies while locking something then….it stays locked until you charge it through an external source. The good news, the battery last up to three years so that really shouldn’t be an issue and one model even has removable batteries (but these only last 6 months) so it can be replaced.
The second product I find for a lock is Noke. The name itself I think is pretty cool because the way it’s pronounced is “no key” because no key is needed. Instead it uses the proximity of your cellular device to prompt the unlocking of the lock. This make accessing your stuff as easy as walking up to the lock. Another cool thing about this lock is that if you forget your smartphone or don’t currently have it with you, you can then use “quick clicks” to open the lock by using a custom access code of short and long taps. I agree this is almost like having a number lock but I find it a bit cooler along with this is just the backup method with the primary being just having a phone on you which is almost always in my case.
So these are two locks that I feel are definitely something to look into if you are in the market for a new lock. Ill post their sites if you want to learn more as well!
TappLock: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tapp-the-world-s-first-smart-fingerprint-padlock#/
Noke: http://noke.com/
Jay Y says
Wow, I never realized that there were such advanced locks out there and now I feel old for only knowing about the typical number locks. The fingerprint lock sounds awesome and seems like it would work similarly to the phone fingerprint locks that are around today. The only thing I wonder about is if it ever fails due to a wet finger or something. It would stink if you couldn’t unlock something because of it didn’t recognize your finger for whatever reason…
Brett C says
I also happen to be very into cycling and was out a few times over break taking advantage of the weather. One of the main reasons why I don’t use any of my bikes to commute on campus is because I would be afraid of theft (plus the lock I have now is rather large to carry around). These sound like interesting products to have if I ever got I bike I wanted to use for commuting.
Nicholas Babich says
A three-year battery is impressive. I agree, Chandler, these locks both sound like good substitutions for a traditional lock. I am very forgetful; I might need one of these. I look for ward to your next interesting post about novelty gadgets.