Everything’s turning smart. Why shouldn’t your everyday luggage? If you’re anything like me, you’ll be handing over your bag with the utmost reluctance to the airline staff at the check-in counter. They look so casual about it and I always feel like asking again and again if they’re sure they’ve marked it for the right flight. At the risk of appearing obsessive – I keep my mouth shut and trust in the luggage gods to take care of my suitcase.
But take heart, fellow obsessives. You’ll soon have intelligent luggage that knows where it’s at plus a lot more. Bluesmart, a tech company that develops and produces internet-connected travel products, came up with a carry-on suitcase that is full of smart features. Of course, it communicates with an app on the owner’s smartphone. From there, the user can lock and unlock the digital lock. The bag has proximity sensors that will lock the bag if the owner is away. He or she will get SMS alerts and information the app when away from the bag. But naturally, the bag also has 3G and GPS to transmit its location to the owner. If an airline manages to misplace it and send it elsewhere, the owner and can find out where exactly it is.
It’s also got a weighing scale built-in so you can stay within weight limits. It’s gadget friendly and charges them for you as well as has special compartments just for gadgets such as tablets and laptops.
Bluesmart is even released into the market.
If your bag isn’t smart, there’s a smart lock in the works, AirBolt, that will give your bag some of the features of the Bluesmart including proximity alerts and security measures. Another little thing that can be added to baggage is a tracking tag called BagTracker which pairs with an app and allows the bag it’s placed in to be tracked all through its journey at the airport. The owner can also find out when the bag arrives at the conveyer belt, ready for pick-up.
G-RO is another carry-on smart bag that claims to be “intelligent baggage without the baggage” focuses on being made of really tough material right down to the wheels that has a huge 23,000mAh battery backup pack to charge devices.
Samsung, partnering with Samsonite, is working on a suitcase that will alert its owner if it senses it is being tampered with. It will also have the proximity and location features and the ability for the baggage to check itself in. The two companies are also working on making it possible for baggage to follow you around – no more the joy of wheeling around your bag at top speed through the crowds. I suppose it’ll scream if someone else touches it because yes, there are also fingerprint sensors on suitcases now.
More stuff is being dreamt up for smart luggage. You have suitcases that have smart opening systems, have add-ons for packing help and more.
Frankly I’d like one that ironed my clothes on being opened up and is voice enabled and says – watch it, you’re going to trip over me!
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
