21/08/2023
Looks like Agent Zero has a part of being in space!
Having been at the forefront of smart access innovation for close to a decade, igloohome has celebrated its milestone 8-year birthday by boldly putting its signature smart padlock to the ultimate test.
On August 9, 2023, igloohome successfully launched eight of its Smart Padlock 2 Space Edition into the notoriously uninhabitable environment of space, becoming the world’s first smart padlock to ever do so.
To demonstrate the reliability and robustness of its Smart Padlock 2 Space Edition, igloo’s space launch consisted of three durability tests:
THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND THE ASCENT TO SPACE
THE ABILITY TO FUNCTION AT PEAK ALTITUDE IN SPACE
THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND THE DESCENT TO EARTH IN WORKING CONDITION
Secured to a bespoke launch vehicle and suspended by a high-altitude hydrogen balloon, igloo’s eight padlocks ascended 33 kilometres above sea level (for context: a passenger aircraft reaches a maximum altitude of 11 kilometres).
As the balloon scaled to peak altitude, where temperatures reached up to -65°C and 0.0618 atm (atmospheric pressure), igloo successfully achieved the mission’s second durability test, demonstrating the padlock’s ability to function even at peak altitude.
Finally upon its return to Earth's surface, the padlocks are demonstrated to be functioning well. They had triumphantly endured the heart-stopping 33 kilometres descent to the ground via a controlled speed of 4.5 metres per second – roughly half the velocity of a free-falling object.
A ‘stratospherically’ smart padlock.
In celebration of its successful space launch and 8th birthday, igloohome has produced a limited run of 88 serialised Smart Padlock 2 Space Edition: the first smart padlock to reach space.
In building a smart padlock to operate in space, igloohome iterated more than 500 prototypes, designing it in line with seven MIL-STD 810H reliability standards to create the toughest smart padlock in the world. The process of producing such a padlock required a multitude of different reliability tests, including rain, shock and heat. The igloohome smart padlock we see today can withstand extreme temperatures and pressure differentials and has been tested in extreme cold weather temperatures in parts of Canada and the Nordics, as well as in extreme heat conditions in the Middle East.
www.agentzero.co.za