Adobe Stock / "vadim yerofeyev"

Smart door locks are one of the first home technology products consumers will opt for. Some smart locks even make the transition easier by turning "dumb locks", or those without technology, into smart ones. Now, a new product is hoping to do the same with keys.

New Atlas writer Ben Coxworth reports on Locky, a new product that augments an existing old-school key.

Locky is basically an electronic fob, which is capable of clamping onto the base of a claimed 90 percent of regular door-lock keys. It's powered by a replaceable lithium coin cell battery, which should reportedly be good for up to 14 months of use. Once the key is installed in the spring-loaded fob, it can subsequently be folded back inside the device when not in use, and deployed switchblade-style when needed. Flipping the key out also powers Locky up. An onboard 9-axis IMU (inertial measurement unit) then monitors how the device is being moved, detecting the telltale movements associated with turning the key in a lock.

Using Bluetooth, an integrated microprocessor transmits the IMU data to an iOS/Android app on the user's smartphone. Among other things, this allows them to later check if they remembered to lock their door upon leaving the house – that said, the app also uses the phone's GPS to determine if the user has left home without locking their door, and alerts them with a notification if they have.

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