New bike lock makes thieves vomit uncontrollably

  • 22/10/2016
(SkunkLock/YouTube)
(SkunkLock/YouTube)

A bike lock that makes thieves immediately vomit has been invented.

Two San Francisco entrepreneurs have developed SkunkLock, a special bike lock that shoots potential bicycle thieves in the face with a noxious spray that makes them vomit uncontrollably.

Inventor Daniel Idzkowski told The Guardian he and his co-inventor, Yves Perrenoud, were "fed up" with bike thefts and the high costs of effective bike locks.

Thousands of bikes are stolen in the San Francisco area every year, and Mr Idzkowski says thieves can cut through most locks in less than a minute.

Mr Idzkowski and Mr Perrenoud created a U-shaped lock that stores one of three pressurised gases they concocted.

When a thief is 30 percent into cutting a lock, the gas erupts in the direction of the incision, causing induced vomiting and breathing difficulties.

Mr Idzkowski told The Guardian the lock passed compliance tests and was legal, with gas variants designed to be compliant with rules across the USA as well as the European Union.

The pair have not tested the lock on an actual thief, but say tests on themselves and volunteers proved the gas to be vomit-inducing in "99 percent of people".

The creators of SkunkLock have started a crowdfund to support the future of the product.

Newshub.