The luggage you can travel with may now actually be smarter than you.
Your suitcase and carry-on bags can now lock and unlock themselves, tell you how much weight you’ve packed in, and track their progress all at the touch of your smartphone. To top that, they can even function as wi-fi hotspots and charge your electronic devices – all for a price, of course.
From bags that are considerably lighter so that you can pack in more stuff, to wheels that are shock-absorbent, the travel-tech industry is abuzz with innovations that make carrying luggage change from a boring hassle to an almost-fun activity.
However, Samsonite CEO Ramesh Tainwala, says that most of the ‘smart luggage’ that has invaded the market at present is more gimmickry than value for money.
The Samsonite R&D team, he asserts, is right now busy working on a formidable challenge — to make cabin-sized bags that are ultra-light, weighing perhaps no more than 1.5 kg so that there will be no panic attacks and annoying experiences at check-in counters.
The luggage-manufacturing giant will be ready to introduce its own brand of ‘smart bags’ by early 2017, giving you baggage that makes sense when you consider the dent it’s making in your wallet.