Industrial Design — Design for Manufacture · 2019
Lock Extreme — Secure, Space-Saving Bike Rack
A vertical, space-saving public bike rack with an integrated lock and card-reader access — designed to negate the need to carry your own lock.
Lock Extreme is a highly secure, space-saving solution that negates the need to carry your own lock. Two bikes mount vertically on a single pole with an integrated locking hook and card-reader access.
- Role
- Concept generation, customer requirements (VoC), key-features definition, business-model proposal
- Duration
- Semester project
- Tools
- VoC research — surveys, observations, interviews, Concept sketching, CAD, Rendering
Justification
Over 5,600 bikes were reported stolen in Ireland in 2018, and only approximately 7% of those were ever recovered. Over half of all bikes stolen are taken from the streets, with the rest from theft at home. The average price of a bike stolen in 2018 was €512.
We noticed a large amount of bikes attached to lampposts in UL and around the city. Only two or three bikes can be attached to a lamppost — an inefficient use of space, and a poor security story.
Customer requirements (VoC)
Voice-of-customer was gathered through surveys, observations and interviews. 60% of respondents had had a bike stolen, 40% were securing their bikes to other structures such as lamp posts, 54% were locking through both wheel and frame, and 60% rated security as the most important factor.
From that we set the must-haves: the lock must be stronger than a personal lock; the locking system must negate the need for the user's own lock; the cost must be affordable; the rack must accommodate adult and child-sized bicycles; and the rack should be efficient in its use of space.
01
Easy-access card reader
Tap-on access via a card reader at user height — no key, no app, no carrying your own lock.
02
Integrated hook
The locking hook is built into the rack and engages the bike frame and wheel together.
03
Lock at a height
Locking mechanism positioned at a comfortable working height for an average adult.
04
Space-saving vertical bikes
Two bikes mount vertically on a single pole, dramatically improving footprint vs. a lamppost or Sheffield rack.
05
Tamper sensor
Built-in tamper detection to trigger an alert if the rack is interfered with.
Business model
Lock Extreme generates revenue from a subscription-based model. The target customer — universities and local councils — purchases the product and then receives a percentage of the subscription fee.
End users pay an annual fee for unlimited use of the locking system at any installed location.