Calling all co-workers! Want an affordable way to securely store your stuff in whilst you're away from the office?
Community member Will Prichard is designing just the thing...
What is Airlockr?
Airlockr promises to be a ridiculously quick and easy way to hire locker space from the comfort of your Smartphone.
Crafted from environmentally-friendly materials, Airlockr will be connected to an app on your phone, allowing you to manage your secure space from anywhere in the world.
"The initial roll-out at C4DI will be based on a monthly rental scheme, at around £10 per month. Using your phone, you can pay for and access your locker at any time," Will tells us.
Why Airlockr?
Alongside being super useful in co-working spaces like C4DI, the lockers have a number of other amazing applications.
From student unions to train stations, public spaces and shopping centres, Airlockr could turn into a network of secure storage space across the country that you hire out for as long or as little time as you need it.
"Say, for example, you were working in Manchester for the day, but you had to be out of your hotel at 10am. You could book out a locker in the city for a few hours, and not worry about carrying your overnight stuff into a meeting with potential clients!"
“Airlockr is a personalised, secure way of hiring storage space”
For retailers, the lockers enhance customer experience, encouraging shoppers to stay longer thanks to a space to store their bags whilst they grab a coffee, go for dinner or continue spending.
"Many customers go and put their purchases in their car when their hands get full. This is not only less secure but also tempts them to leave the shopping centre early and drive home."
From Masters Student To Product Innovator.
Will’s entrepreneurial spirit was sparked during his time at the University of Hull as he was studying for his MEng in Mechanical Engineering.
“For our final project, we had to come up with an innovative product idea and, with Hull being one of the best places to found a startup, it escalated from there,” he explains.
“Hull is one of the best places to found a startup.”
What’s inspiring about Will’s story is that, whilst his MEng has played a crucial role, the engineer has managed to teach himself from scratch the skills needed to execute his idea; from web development to designing the hardware, and even building the lockers with a CNC machine.
“I have received so much support from individuals and businesses at C4DI, including John Connolly, Alex Pringle and Sauce to name a few. Without C4DI, I would never have been able to turn my idea into reality.”
Where do I sign up?
We know that there has been a huge need for lockers in our community, so we’re very excited to see Will’s product come to fruition.
Will is currently putting the finishing touches to the product and will build the lockers at Hull Libraries’ brand new Makerspace.
If you’d like to find out more about how you can sign up for one early, please get in touch with Will on Slack (@Will Prichard) or via willprichard1@gmail.com.