KeyMe allows you to keep a spare set of keys in the cloud

To guard against getting locked out of the house, many of us stash a spare set of keys under the welcome mat, or leave them with a friend. KeyMe, a New York-based start-up, proposes that instead, we store our keys in the cloud.

It recently installed self-serve kiosks at 7-Eleven stores across New York, where users can instantly make copies of their keys. KeyMe will store digital copies of them for free online—there’s no limit on how many—and if you get locked out, it can download your key and print it. Creating a spare key from the cloud costs $19.99; to simply make a copy of a key costs up to $5.99. (KeyMe says that, thanks to its “advanced robotics,” it’s more accurate than most hardware stores and locksmiths.)

Cloud-based services are increasingly big business, and consumers obviously trust them: These days, people are storing their music collections, books, important emails and documents in the cloud. Maybe it was just a matter of time before we turned over the keys to our front doors, too.