A suitcase which follows you around like a besotted pet might sound like the stuff of science fiction – but it looks like this will be part of our essential travel kit in the very near future.
The clever case, which is being created by NUA Robotics, uses an in-suitcase camera sensor as well as Bluetooth pairing via a smartphone app to ‘recognise’ its owner, and will follow them around – so, effectively, you’ll find it very hard to lose your case.
"Any object can be smart and robotic," Alex Libman, co-founder and CEO of NUA Robotics, told Mashable. "We want to bring robots into everyday life."
If you’re keen to get your hands on a super-smart suitcase, you may have to wait for a while – it’s still in its prototype phase at the moment. Libman hopes to make a version of the suitcase available to consumers ready for 2017.
The technology isn’t just limited to suitcases, either. Libman has suggested that this ‘matching’ tech could be applied to any number of everyday objects, such as trolleys which follow you around the supermarket. No more dealing with squeaky whells and runaway shopping.
The relationship between technology and travel shows no sign of losing momentum – and recent developments which include suitcases with spare batteries for devices and tracking apps for luggage via smartphones are indicative of how the future of travel is moving forward. Travellers want strong, sturdy devices which are practical and long-lasting; gone are the days of flimsy reading lights and bulky portable charging devices.
Is there one downside to the suitcase which you can’t lose? Potentially; at the time of writing, the model being worked on only works on ‘flat surfaces’. Something to bear in mind if you’re racing up and down the stairs at the airport.
Image credit: YouTube/Mashable
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