electro , a unique programmable lock has been developed by tno , a major independent r&d Institution in Holland and Lips Sloten, a lock manufacturer in Europe. It is the first lock system that will not have any duplicate keys.

The new lock incorporates a programmable memory and a reader, while the access key contains a micro electronic identification chip. When the key is inserted into a lock, a magnetic field is generated which is converted into a voltage by a coil on the chip. When an access key is inserted into the lock, the chip sends a unique code to the lock's memory. If the code is present in the memory, the lock will open. The code, therefore, replaces the toothed profile or pits of keys used in the conventional mechanical locks.

The memory in the lock can store more than 1,000 different identification codes. The codes are stored and erased from the lock's memory with the help of two programming keys