Hungarian teenager invents new generation of safe lock

An 18-year-old student from Debrecen, Áron Hunyadi, has invented an armored door lock that could force professional lock breakers to find a new career, writes mfor.hu. He originally won a silver medal at the Hungarian Science and Innovation Competition with the design, but now companies are sniffing around the unique concept.

Hunyadi told the portal that he had been inspired by his favorite movie, "The Italian Job." "I didn't make the lock by using tough materials, I built it based on logic," he said. "The concept of the lock is that it has a multi-step security system. There are several sub-locks built into the main lock, which are protected from being forced by protective shields. A lock breaker would have to break through the armor and then crack the logic of the lock. When that is done, they have to overcome the next armor and the next sub-lock, and so on. The system can incorporate any number of steps, depending on costumers' requirements." Because of its ingenious design, the system is said to be considerably lighter than convention locks and to require less reinforcement. "The design is more important than the materials," he added.

Other advantages of the new lock are that it is cheap to make and easy to open with a single key. The disadvantage? "I only know of one weakness," the young inventor joked. "That the key can be lost at any time."

Hunyadi added that two companies had contacted him with offers, and that the patenting process is currently underway. "I am waiting for other investors to approach me. I would like to see competition among companies so I can choose between them," he said.

Meanwhile, a Hungarian inventor who had his invention of light-transmitting concrete featured in Time magazine in 2004 is fighting to keep his invention from a multinational company, reports Népszava.

Áron Losonczi's Litracon, a translucent concrete mixed with glass, is being manufactured by a company without authorization from Losonczi. Last year, Losonczi and the company started negotiations on co-operation that lasted eight months when the company suddenly broke off contact. By then, however, it had learned all details on how to manufacture the special concrete. The company has also appealed against the patent granted for the product.

Dr. Marietta Kiss of the Hungarian Patent Office told the paper that Losonczi's case is typical. Young inventors, hoping for financial support, often start talks with investors who then steal their ideas. Fortunately, Losonczi is in a better position than most of these inventors, as he has already patented Litracon. She also said that companies can appeal against the patent if they believe the invention is not suitable to be patented. This, however, is unlikely to apply to Litracon.

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