Bluesmart reveals smart suitcase controlled by mobile app

A suitcase that connects wirelessly to the user’s phone is unveiled today (Monday).

A suitcase that connects wirelessly to the user’s phone is unveiled today (Monday).

The Bluesmart carry-on is being made available on crowd fundraising site Indiegogo for the early adopter price of $195 as the company behind the initiative seeks to raise $50,000.

The so-called smart carry-on suitcase allows travellers to lock and unlock, weigh, locate, receive alerts and track the bag from a mobile app.

The suitcase has a built-in a battery charger that allows users to charge devices up to six times, with protected compartments for laptops and electronic devices.

The app syncs with the suitcase and online travel services to provide the user with reports, smart notifications and alerts.

Tomi Pierucci, co-founder of technology firm Bluesmart which developed the case, said: “We came up with the idea after suffering a couple of bad experiences with our luggage, when airlines forced us to check bags only to have them mishandled or lost.

“We realised that with all the amazing technology available today, we could do better. Suitcases haven’t seen much innovation in decades, so we decided to design a suitcase for this century.”

Bluesmart’s patent-pending technology utilises micro-sensors, actuators and a microcomputer with GPS that communicates with smartphones via Bluetooth to track and communicate data to the user.

Other company co-founder, Brian Chen, said: “More than 25 million bags are lost or mishandled by airlines every year. This causes great pains to travelers all over the world.

“With the advent of microcomputers and the ‘Internet of Things’ we have the opportunity to prevent these problems while providing a smarter option to travellers of the connected generation.

“We are looking for the support of the community via Indiegogo because we want to see this product begin to help others as soon as possible and with their support we can make it happen.”