Smart Luggage

SMART LUGGAGE

Luggage has not experienced tremendous innovations throughout the years. But now, with smart technologies, the time for change has come.

Alejo Verlini, an industrial designer behind a travel technology brand Bluesmart, says: “Suitcases haven’t seen much innovation for several decades. So, we set about reimagining how a suitcase for this century should be”. (Tan 2015)

The company has created a smart bag that weighs itself, tells you weather conditions and lets you track it with a help of a special app.

Samsonite in collaboration with Samsung announced their creation of smart luggage too. The release date was scheduled for November 2015. But the bag is still not available for purchase.

The exciting thing is that Samsonite’s team is working on making their luggage able for self-propelling. Imagine your bag following you around the airport without you having to drag it around. Sounds good, doesn’t it? (Howley 2015)

Back to reality.

Bluesmart bag is already on sale. Smart bags are real and available. Although they are quite overpriced. A Bluesmart bag bought on the company’s website will cost you $399. (Bluesmart 2015)

Let’s see which features might make us consider this pricy purchase worth spending.

1. Bluesmart developed an application for your smartphone which connects to your luggage. This way you can see the journey of your bag while tracking the milage. The app also shows weather conditions of your destination to make it easier for you to pack.
2. Your luggage also has USB chargers and Bluetooth-enabled lock. So you can charge your phone and other electronic devices up to 6 times. In addition, you can secure your belongings by locking and unlocking your bag through the phone. You also will be notified if someone tries to break the bag.
3. Forget about loosing your luggage forever. With a built-in GPS technology you can track your luggage’s location any time.
4. The last but not least is a self-weighing function. Luggage restrictions have always been a pain for many travellers. These problems are in the past now. While packing for a trip your bag will tell you when it is time to stop.

Smart luggage is one more step closer to making smart technologies a part of our daily activities.

This particular innovation is without doubts able to make our life easier. However, smart luggage will not get huge popularity until its price gets lower.

Another issue worth mentioning is how strong the bag is. We all know how terrible our bags are being treated by airport staff. A lot of of bags are being broken in airports every day. Smart bag will be thrown as hard as the others. Will its modern technological components be strong enough to withstand? If yes, then for how long?

Smart bag sounds quite fragile. Or it only seems so? Future will show how many people will be eager to give it a try.

References:

1. Bluesmart (2016), Available at: http://bluesmart.com
2. Howley D. (2015), Samsonite’s Smart Luggage Can Check Itself in at the Airport, Yahoo Tech, Available at: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/samsonites-smart-luggage-can-check-itself-in-at-118116442839.html
3. Tan R. (2015), A Thinking Case – Smart Luggage, The Peak Magazine, Available at:http://thepeakmagazine.com.sg/2015/10/a-thinking-case-smart-luggage/

Hanna Hotsyk & Dorian Vincileoni