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They can take our carry-on luggage, but they will never take our freedom to create smart suitcases that send signals to our bag's location.
Mashable's Jessica Plautz reports a recent Indiegogo campaign managed its $50,000 goal of creating what might be the industry's most technologically advanced suitcases.
The product is called Bluesmart, and it essentially tethers you to your carry-on luggage just in case you are forced to check it in; that way you will know how it's doing and where it is, like a baby monitor for travelers.
Plautz writes, "Bluesmart luggage connects to a mobile app that allows travelers to track the bag's proximity, digitally lock and unlock it, check the bag's weight, show travel data and track routes. The creators are not the first to propose GPS-tracked bags, but they have added features that make the concept appealing."
Here is a closer look at a bag that may just come with bells and whistles travelers have been craving for quite some time now.
The built in scale is nice, but the power for digital devices might set this apart as a must-have product. If only they could fit an espresso machine on this thing and we would have everything we need.
Co-founder Tomi Pierucci explained the impetus behind the digitally intelligent bag: "We came up with the idea for Bluesmart after suffering a couple of bad experiences with our luggage, when airlines forced us to check bags only to have them mishandled or lost."
Now Plautz reminds that there are already similar products on the market, including "GPS-enabled luggage tags."
However, this certainly offers a seemingly all-in-one solution for passengers with obvious carry-on worries. And the blue Knight Rider-esque light doesn't hurt matters either.
Now those hoping to get their hands on one will have to wait until about July of 2015. The Indiegogo page states the bags will retail for $450, but donors will get something of a discount. A donation of $215 is still available, as well as $235 and $295, with each donation earning you a Bluesmart carry-on.
At that point you can hand over your carry-on for check in with confidence, knowing that you will be the first person to know exactly when it's lost.
Hey, it's something.
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