SAN FRANCISCO — A pair of San Francisco inventors fed up with getting their bicycles stolen have come up with a chemical deterrent to stop bike thieves. <br /> <br />The SkunkLock contains a vomit-inducing gas that is released when it is cut into. <br /> <br />Co-creators Daniel Idzkowski and Yves Perrenout see huge potential for the device because around $350 million worth of bicycles are stolen in the U.S. each year, according to SkunkLock’s Indiegogo page. <br /> <br />The U-shaped SkunkLock is made of medium-carbon steel and has a hollow chamber inside that contains one of three different pressurized gases. Some of the gas formulas contain capsaicin, the active component in chili peppers. <br /> <br />The formulas are detectable even through gas masks, and ruins any clothing they come into contact with. <br /> <br />The gas smells unpleasant from up to 10 feet away, which could draw unwanted attention to potential bicycle thieves. <br /> <br />The inventors admit the SkunkLock is not foolproof and could probably be picked but say that would take up to 30 minutes because the device has an advanced disc-cylinder tumbler lock, the Guardian reported. <br /> <br />The chemicals in the SkunkLock are legal and compliant with state and national laws. <br /> <br />Idzkowski and Perrenout set a target of $20,000 on their Indiegogo page, but have already received more than $25,000 in pledges. The first SkunkLocks will be shipped to customers by June next year, according to the Guardian.
