A Berlin-based start-up company is hoping to revolutionise the way we get into our homes.
The idea is to swap a traditional metal key for a Kiwi Ki – a little plastic square which automatically unlocks your door as you get close.
It is essentially a transponder, which uses radio-frequency identification technology.
The Kiwi Ki is said to be the first of its kind to connect to a smartphone app, meaning doors can also be opened remotely.
“I had the idea for Kiwi in November 2007. I had just had my first son and I was standing in front of an apartment building like this one, with a baby in one arm and bags over the other,” explained Claudia Nagel, Co-Founder of Kiwi.ki.
“It was raining and it was cold and I couldn’t find my key. That’s when I thought there had to be an easier way to open doors.”
More than 15-thousand households in Berlin have access to the system. Recycling collectors in the city are testing it out too.
Instead of a ring of metal keys, they now have 20 Ki
