Kevin Mitnick, a computer security consultant and convicted hacker, worries that he might be kidnapped while traveling through more dangerous parts of Latin America. So he casually wears a bracelet of woven paracord. Hidden in the clasp is a key designed to open most handcuff designs.

Link -via Say Uncle | Photo: James Martin/CNET

Jessica Bethune, Aiswarya Kolisetty, Jessica Noglows, and Rob Sobecki are students at the Olin College of Engineering. For a class assignment, they built a machine that can figure out the combination to any Masterlock combination padlock. The LockCracker tries every possible combination, spinning the dial until it’s successful.

via Wired

Locksport fans compete in several formats, including head-to-head contests that determine the fastest lock picker. In the so-called Locksport Wizard, each contestant is given a burlap sack containing an identical set of locks and is required to blindly pick them using only tools they have put in the sack.

In other challenges, participants have to pick their way out of handcuffs before attempting to defeat a set of locks. There also are competitions to disassemble locks and reassemble them properly.

Some police officers are concerned that criminals could use these events to learn lockpicking skills, but enthusiasts say that criminals are unlikely to invest the time necessary to develop them.

Link via Make | Photo by Flickr user robertdx used under Creative Commons license

A video tutorial on how to make you own lockpicks. If you’re going to try your new tools out, you might want to take a look at these videos first:

• How to Escape a Handcuff
• Handcuffs, Handcuffs, Whatcha Gonna Do

Link [Metacafe] – via Miniature Brainwave