Bicycle thieves will need a stomach of steel to thwart the SkunkLock, which makes anyone who attempts to cut through it throw up.
San Francisco-based entrepreneur Daniel Idzkowski and engineer Yves Perrenoud designed the U-shaped lock to emit a potent scent when cut by an angle grinder ? which is how many bikes are stolen.
The smell induces a person within the vicinity to vomit, hindering their ability to flee the area unnoticed.
SkunkLock's designers hope their invention will deter thieves from stealing bikes, motorcycles and scooters. Despite 1.5 million bikes reportedly being stolen per year in the USA, thieves are rarely caught and prosecuted.

"I've had multiple bikes stolen in my life and have never felt more violated, and frustrated that even the best bike locks available were easily compromised with power tools," said the designer. "We decided that the bike theft problem around the world was serious enough that we had to do something about it." Made from hardened steel that reaches 450 on the Brinell scale, the locks release a custom-engineered compound from the puncture point. Called Formula D_1, it can stain clothes and result in temporary visual impairment, breathing difficulties and vomiting ? even through gas masks.

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