The Bluesmart carry-on is a digital suitcase for canny travellers

Ziggy | 21 Oct, 2014 02:58PM | Leave a comment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJnvx7IhAmk Bluesmart is supposedly the world's first smart, connected carry-on suitcase and yesterday it hit its Indiegogo goal within two hours of the campaign going live.

The Bluesmart aimed to reach $50,000 (£31,000) over the course of a month and instead raised $143,998 (£89,000) -- correct at the time of writing -- in just one day. Clearly there is demand for such a feature-packed item -- here's what has made people want to get hold of one.

On board is a Bluetooth-enabled lock that can be unlocked with your smartphone and tells you if anyone tries to break into your suitcase. It will automatically lock as soon as the suitcase is a distance away from you and your smartphone, and if your bag ever goes missing, the Bluesmart network will help you to track its location.

You don't need to worry if your smartphone has died either, as tucked inside is a super-powerful battery pack that allows you to charge two devices simultaneously. It can hold enough juice to let you charge a smartphone six times over. A built-in digital scale will tell whether your suitcase meets the weight restrictions for the particular airline you're travelling on, and Bluetooth will tell you where and when your suitcase was last seen in proximity to your phone. There's a bunch of other cool stuff on board too and a bespoke app that communicates with your Android device or iPhone.

Bluesmart Many of the features that make the Bluesmart such a desirable item ultimately serve to reveal the shortcomings of the travel industry. If only airports and airlines could be trusted equally to meet the needs of modern travellers, the requirement for such a feature-packed smart suitcase would be obsolete.

-wired.co.uk