Tag: theft

Health Clubs Turn to Smart Towels to Cut Down on Theft

No health club is complete without complimentary towel service. Not only is it needed for sanitary reasons, but it’s also a nice amenity that keeps gym goers happy. But what happens when towel theft runs rampant at your local gym? For many health clubs, it means turning to technology for help.

And we can’t blame them. With prices that range from 50 cents to more than $2 (depending on the size and quality of the towel), a gym can lose as much as $50,000 per year if towel theft is left unchecked, as it did in one YMCA in northern New Jersey. Continue reading Health Clubs Turn to Smart Towels to Cut Down on Theft

Halo Like a Guardian Angel For Your Bike

Almost everyone at one time or another says, “if only this thing could talk, imagine the tales it would tell.” Well, imagine if one of those tales was about how it stopped a potential theft. That’s the idea behind designer Steve Hunt’s Halo Bike Lock. This flexible ring, which looks a bit like the angelic halo is heaven-sent for an entirely different reason.
An angelic way to deter theives

The Halo is actually constructed in such a way as to make breaking or otherwise removing it from a bike a bit more difficult than just cutting a simple pad lock, thus slowing down a possible theft. The cable connector of the Halo is actually housed inside the lock’s frame, but the real reason to buy the lock is the warning an owner will get. The Halo Bike Lock will send a text message, via an integrated wireless transmitter, should someone try to tamper or cut the lock.

All that sounds great right? Well, there is a problem. Steve Hunt hasn’t actually produced the Halo yet, and thus the idea is still very much in the clouds. Dare we say that Steve needs an angle investor to get the Halo off the ground?

Steve Hunt’s Halo Bike Lock Official Site

[Via Softpedia: Halo Bike Lock Notifies Owner of Bike Theft]

Stopping Bicycle Thieves

The classic Italian movie The Bicycle Thief (1948) tells the story of how a life can be changed when a bike is stolen. While most such thefts today don’t mean the difference between life and death (or at least in feeding one’s family), bike theft remains a problem. In fact, the FBI estimates that more than 1.5 million people fall victim to a bicycle theft each year, meaning that a bike is stolen about every 20 seconds! Fortunately some companies are starting to fight back. One such example is BaitBike, which provides specially monitored bikes that are meant to be stolen.

This is sort of a type of a trap to would-be thieves, leaving a bike in an area where similar thefts have occurred. In this case the BaitBike has electronic tracking gear, which in turn allows law enforcement to find said bike and arrest the thieves. While this technology isn’t yet available to the public, hopefully soon we can see a low-jack of sorts for bikes.

But the best advice is to lock your bike if you must leave it, but the better method is to avoid the locks and just never leave your bike out of your sight!

BaitBike.com