Smart luggage self charges
The team from Ebolt in Portland, Oregon, are raising money on Kickstarter for the luggage, which overcomes previous problems other smart luggage startups faced by having a 5000mAh (18.5 Wh) battery that can be removed when it goes in the hold of an aircraft. It also doesn’t have the Bluetooth wireless tracking capability of other smart luggage designs that led to worries about interference.
The built-in ‘KineTech Wheels’ on the ebolt give the removable battery pack a constant recharge as they spin, actively charging a phone while the luggage rolls along. At walking speed, the luggage charges about 20% of the battery within 15 minutes.
The company was set up by Romanians Marius Strizu and Gennes Curescu and the Kickstarter campaign is at www.kickstarter.com/projects/1563603842/ebolt-luggage
In a separate move, French luggage company Delsey has launched a smart suitcase with digital scales and fingerprint recognition.
The Pluggage is controlled by an app that monitors the weight via the handle. The luggage can be opened via the app, a fingerprint scanner or manually, and the app records when it has been opened. It also includes a GSM link to track it globally and a Bluetooth link to let the app know when it arrived on an airport carousel.
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