Luggage Goes High Tech (Part 2)

Yesterday was Part 1 of Luggage Goes High Tech. Today is Part 2.

What if instead of dragging around your luggage, you could ride it? That’s what The City Cab believes you need. Really, the luggage part is a secondary feature of this creative product. Think of it as a motor scooter with a bag attached. It travels up to 12 mph with a phenomenal distance of 37 miles before needing recharging. More amazing, it can carry two people and only weighs about 15 lbs.

It is very doubtful The City Cab will work as a carry-on because of the large size, extruding handle, and wheels but hey, I have seen some humongous bags carried on planes before so who knows. The scooter bag is not yet in production but the Chinese inventor’s estimated selling price is pretty wide, approximately $650-4,900USD. Words can’t describe this bag on wheels, it simply has to be seen.

Maybe a more practical riding bag will be available sooner. Called The Olaf, it is the brainchild of Slovenian inventor Bostjan Zagar. Combining his frequent flier experience and automotive engineering background, Zagar designed a carry-on bag that is supposed to help you move through airports quicker without the burden of dragging luggage behind you. The waterproof bag is called a kickscooter and will also be available in a backpack version. Like some of the other products, it is fund testing through Kickstarter but Zagar has already exceeded his initial figures.

The Olaf Business model weight is about 9 lbs and the reported size is 21″ x 13″ x 8.5″, usually within the carry-on limits of most non-regional airlines. Unlike The City Cab, this model does not use a battery for power. Instead it operates like a skateboard so it needs human intervention for speed but includes a rear brake for safety. To add a little excitement to your travels, the kickboard can be separated from the luggage, allowing you to travel around a city with only the wooden skateboard. The Kickstarter price is $316USD.

Looking for something a little smaller? Consider a chair that converts into a small carry-on bag. Intelligently called Chair to Suitcase, it is designed more to be a carry-on product without additional contents. In other words, it is perfect if you desire to carry around a chair in your travels but worry about damage. Note that this product was actually created by a magician for others in his field. Be forewarned, it’s possible a rabbit will jump out when you do the transformation.

More practical to many readers might be a product appropriately called Hop!, the luggage that follows you as you walk through the airport or wherever via the Bluetooth receiver in the bag synching with your smartphone. Indeed, this intelligent luggage can be programmed to move multiple Hop! bags at one time. It was the entrepreneur’s intention to make this bag available in both carry-on and full size. I said was because the inventor showcased this bag a couple years ago. Thanks to some negative comments, apparently the product was withdrawn until these issues could be addressed.

What most of these innovators have in common is a desire to take the standard wheeled carry-on bag and make it better for travelers. Some look to improvements inside the bag, others look at the outside. A couple examples now in fairly common use are the 4-wheel spinner style bags and use of lightweight polycarbonate material.

Someday one creative talent will design a bag that has all the features we would like. One of my favorites would be a way to automatically shrink garments once they are inside the bag and of course, come out unwrinkled when the bag is opened. No doubt you could add to that list but one thing is for sure, the best high tech bags of the future that come along will be from the inventors who most listen to what users really want.