CarryU

CarryU designs LOCKÜP, a magnetic attachment system that keeps the phone on the person carrying it. A universal card slides under the case or sticks to the device, then connects to a Dyneema-core lanyard whose magnetic tip locks onto a wrist strap, a strap or a key ring. The system is meant for people on the move: public transit and travel, sports and cycling, content creation, parents of young children. It takes over from the hand: the device stays attached to the body.

Phone protection today relies on software and vigilance. The company describes the usual means: passcode and biometrics, auto-lock, Stolen Device Protection on iPhone, theft detection on Android, remote location, discretion on transit. These means protect the data and help find the device, without preventing the theft. According to the company, nearly 7 in 10 phone thefts are snatch thefts, committed while the victim is holding the device.

The product

The team is designing a magnetic lock the company says is patented, with a quarter-turn mechanical lock and a 360-degree swivel that prevents accidental release. The housing is ZAMAK5 zinc alloy, the connectors anodized aluminium alloy, the magnets N52 neodymium, the wrist strap braided nylon. The company announces a pull strength of more than 100 lb and installation in under a minute, with no tools. The wearer keeps the choice of attachment point: the same phone moves from the wrist strap to the lanyard, the strap or the key ring through the SMARTSWAP system, and the wrist strap adjusts from 13 to 21 cm around the wrist depending on the size chosen.

What it changes in practice

• Dropping or forgetting the device is ruled out, because the phone stays connected to the wearer by a Dyneema-core lanyard.
• Snatch theft becomes harder, because pulling runs into a quarter-turn mechanical lock the company says resists more than 100 lb of pull.
• Hands stay free while moving or shooting, because the device holds on the wrist without being held.

On The Move