The NYPD has a new technology for dealing with parking violators: an innovative device called Barnacle simply closes the windshield and immobilizes the vehicle until a fine is paid.
Thus, the Police Department of the mentioned metropolis began to counter illegal parking of cars, regardless of their size, type and form of ownership. They say it turned out to be effective, but there are nuances.
As the practice of experimental implementation has shown, this is a more effective remedy for a traditional mechanical wheel lock. Now this technology is spreading in other US cities. However, experts believe that this success for the police is temporary.
The new device resembles a suitcase. To lock the car, it is unfolded like a book and placed on the surface of the windshield.
The operator starts the locking mechanism and locks the device with a key, like an apartment. That's it – the car is locked.
It is difficult to remove or tear this device from the glass, but nothing is impossible – for every invention there are craftsmen who will find a solution. The new blocker is no exception.
No one is going to drive with the windshield closed – the view is practically blocked. The yellow plastic box not only blocks the view, but also warns other drivers that parking in this area is prohibited.
In the expanded operating mode, the device is activated by a motor and two suction cups, one from each “page”. They stick to the glass or, when unblocked, are detached from its surface.
The operator just needs to turn the device into operating mode and wait until two giant suction cups stick to the glass using an autonomous pump.
There they create a pressure of about 500 kilograms, it self-regulates. This is due to the ambient temperature, against which the system automatically adjusts the pressure.
If it takes 3-4 minutes to install a conventional locking device on a wheel, then installing Barnacle on a windshield takes only 20-30 seconds.
Firstly, it is safer and faster. Secondly, its innovative technology is more efficient, enabling real-time GPS location data transmission. In addition, if someone tries to leave with this device or disconnect it, the police will immediately receive an alert.
The “shell” from the windshield is removed using an unlock code. Drivers receive it by calling the specified phone number or going to the website, the details and instructions for step-by-step actions are posted on the surface of the device. Of course, unlocking is only possible after paying a fine of $185.
But here, as with the wheel lock, self-unlocking solutions are already being developed. At least half a dozen tips for mechanically disconnecting the device from the glass are already circulating on the Internet. So the statement that unlocking is possible only after paying a fine and receiving a code is no longer relevant.
Now hackers are thinking about how to destroy data from the Barnacle chip. Experts believe that this will not be the case – they will hack. Car hackers once learned to decode electronic locks and ignition switches. So there will be not only code breaking, but also the destruction of information from the device chip.
Today, in the Barnacle device, this chip causes the most trouble.. With its help, the police track all movements via GPS and respond to information about the payment of a fine.. However, and it’s a matter of time, a way out will be found, since the data protection system here is simpler than banking, where IT specialists from the “invisible front” already go for a walk.
Photo: Barnacle