Urban Alps

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Urban Alps

Year founded	2014
Industry	Security and Lock Industry
Founder	Dr. Alejandro Ojeda
Headquarters	Seefeldstrasse 293, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland
Website	https://www.urbanalps.com

Urban Alps is a company based in Zürich, Switzerland, co-founded by Dr. Alejandro Ojeda and Dr. Felix Reinert. Incorporating stealth technology, the company innovated mechanical keys, cylinder and padlock applications. Through their innovations, Urban Alps has resolved the critical issue of unauthorized 3D key duplication.

The success behind the Stealth Key product owes its impact to the very high security risk on the market due to the cheap 3D printer industry. Any individual with a smartphone can take a picture of the key and print it at home with a €200 printer. They can enter a house or office and leave no trace of their harmful activity. Theft insurance doesn’t cover any theft if there are no traces left.

Throughout 2014, Dr. Alejandro Ojeda worked in the 3D printing industry on the prototype of space rocket parts and he invented an anti-3D print key. The locks industry’s response to the threat of 3D printing was to add magnets, electric add-ons, batteries, RFIs and similar inventions to normal keys. On the other hand, Stealth Key is a mechanical key which hides its security features inside, and the code cannot be seen.

History

Urban Alps was launched in 2014 and received support from Venture Kick. Ojeda, one of the co-founders, is a native of the Spanish Canary Islands and a mechanical engineer with more than five years of industrial experience. Reinert, the other co-founder, has a PhD in laser physics and seven years of experience.

In March 2016, Urban Alps was one of the ten startups nominated for the W. A. de Vigier award. The company was financed with CHF 100,000 after winning the award.

In January 2017, Stealth Key was presented for the first time to the world at Intersec 2017 Dubai – the world’s largest security fair.

In June 2017, Urban Alps earned the Winner Startup Award at Rapid.Tech 2017 in Germany.

In November 2017, co-founder and CEO Dr. Alejandro Ojeda introduced Stealth Key at the UK Security Expo with a presentation focused on 3D printing vs. high security keys. Less than a year after that, Urban Alps launched the Stealth Padlock.

In 2018, SLM Solutions co-founder Hanner Schöneborn joined Urban Alps, bringing expertise to take the Stealth Key to large-scale industrialization.

Products and use

The Stealth Key & Cylinders

The Stealth Key was designed as an alternative to regular keys, which anyone can scan and copy with a cheap 3D printer.

Made of titanium, the Stealth Key was built from inside out (with the help of metal 3D printing), meaning that its teeth (security code) cannot be seen. At the same time, it works like a normal key, fitting inside a cylinder lock to open the door. Moreover, Stealth Key is the first key product which provides superior levels of copy protection thanks to its not hidden security codes.

The main purpose of Stealth Key is not to protect a location against professional burglars, who are more likely to break windows, but against untrustworthy partners who can easily open sensitive doors with a 3D copy of the key.

Specifically, the danger comes from collaborators or former employees who can copy the keys and enter an office, home, or other location without leaving traces, which is an important factor for theft insurance. Even more dangerous, those who can enter houses without leaving traces can scan and post the keys online. The industry's response to the risk of 3D copies was to add additional safety features to keys, such as batteries or magnets, and Stealth Key is a purely mechanical solution without batteries or magnets.

This key stands out from four points of view: (A) it is the first 3D metal printed key, (B) it offers unparalleled levels of copy protection security, (C) it is a purely mechanical lock solution with no electronics, no magnets, no digital interfaces and (D) it has a sleek design.

Thanks to the method of production, it is nearly impossible to produce or replicate the keys with any other method.<ref[https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/super-secure-stealth-key-chip-hartman/</ref>

Stealth Key is not directly aimed at typical households, but rather at enterprises due to its extremely secure way of maintaining the safety of documents and important company files. However, the founders believe that the added security will generate enough attractiveness even amongst the general public who seeks added security.

Stealth Padlocks

The Stealth Padlock is a later addition to Urban Alps' products. It completes the kit of safety tools a person needs to secure important company documents. Made of superalloys, the padlock ensures a high level of safety against prolonged liquid nitrogen attacks and high temperature torch attacks. The shackle and housing are made of super alloy material used for landing gears, aerospace rockets and gas turbines.

Being an "exclusive padlock and mechanical key", the Stealth Padlock is available in an amount of only 1,000 units for 2018. This product was pre-launched at the European Locksmith Federation Convention 2018. With this product, the company aims to "set new security standards in the lock industry". The Stealth Padlock’s functionalities are aimed at military facilities, governmental assets, oil and gas platforms, and border control operations. Basically, any locations where extreme weather conditions and potential attacks require the highest level of resistance and copy protection, with high levels of security.

The Stealth Padlock product comes with two Stealth Keys.

Patents and trademarks

• 01. World Patent WO2015051475: Patented on 16th April 2016 under the inventors GONZÁLEZ-POSADA Alejandro OJEDAFelix Michael REINERT.
• 02. PCT Patent EP3055467: Patented on 17th August 2017 under the inventors GONZÁLEZ-POSADA Alejandro OJEDA Felix Michael REINERT.
• 03. Swiss Patent CH710314
• 04. International Trademark 1312061: CLASS 6, CLASS 9, and CLASS 42 trademarked on 26th September 2017.
• 05. RC4 EN 1630:2016: Resistance Class 4 Certification – the highest class of resistance for padlocks.

References

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