Stand clear ... this is my personal space.An industrial designer fed up with the pushing and shoving of subway travel has developed a frightening fashion accessory way to keep fellow passengers at bay.Introducing the 'Spike Away' vest - a plastic armor fitted with long flexible spikes.While the spikes wouldn't cause any real harm to anyone who comes in contact with them, the damage is all aesthetic, according to creator Siew Ming Cheng.Cheng put together the vest during a design workshop at the National University of Singapore, according to her profile on Behance.The workshop was called 'Chindogu', which is the Japanese art of designing gadgets to solve mundane, everyday problems.The class was lead by futuristic German furniture designer Werner Aisslinger.After a brainstorming session, attendees are giving half a day to source materials and hack together a prototype that represents the idea.Cheng decided that wearing armor would be the most effective solution.All the materials were from a typical hardware store.The vest is made of strips of spiky, flexible plastic material found in the gardening section of a handy store. The strips are looped together with cable ties. Fittingly, the strips are normally used to keep birds and cats away from plants. The designs did not necessarily have to be a practical so long as they solved the problem, which in this instance was overcrowded public transportation.While the vest was created as a one-off, following much popularity online, the young designer is now said to be considering mass developing them.Critics were quick to say they are a 'lawsuit waiting to happen'.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az