A group of college students in Chile has invented a way to help stop the bicycle theft problem in their country, a feat especially relevant as the country continues to see its biker population grow.

According to EFE, over 106,000 bicycles a year are stolen in the Chilean capital of Santiago.

Andres Roi, a student at Adolfo Ibañez University, has been a victim of bicycle theft multiple times. When one of his professors gave his class an assignment to improve on a mode of transportation, Roi knew what to do and joined forces with fellow students Juan Jose Monsalve and Cristobal Cabello. The team decided to build a bicycle that cannot be stolen.

"We worked on a conventional bike frame so it could be taken apart and used as a lock," Monsalve said. "If someone were to try to steal it, he would have to break the bicycle."

Once the bicycle is broken, it becomes ugly and useless, making it hard for thieves to sell it.

Roi, Monsalve and Cabello's invention has already garnered attention on social media, and people from various countries have asked to buy their own theft-proof bicycle.

"We want to try with different types of bikes, which is what they're asking us online," Cabello said.

The bike is not for sale yet, but Cabello hopes that it "will go on the market in less than two years." The students have been creating partnerships with small businesses.

According to data by Chile's Transport Ministry cited by EFE, the number of bicycles on the streets has doubled since 2006. By 2015, the number of daily trips made via bicycles is expected to be higher than 1 million.

In an effort to handle the influx of bikers, the Chilean government has plans to create bike lanes and "guarded bike parking spaces," EFE reported.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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