In an effort to make traveling less cumbersome than before, South Korean tech giant Samsung and global luggage manufacturer Samsonite have teamed up and are in the process of rolling out smart suitcases in the near future. These smartphone suitcases will be able to relay their location to owners' smartphones and check themselves at the airport.
According to The Daily Mail, the smart suitcase will take advantage of the GPS module placed inside it and will be able to notify travelers on its exact location, after being unloaded from an aircraft and being placed on the conveyor belt. Additionally, the smart suitcase will also feature a security contingency, and will be able to notify luggage owners if it is being opened or not. Furthermore, owners will be sent alerts if they are moving away from the proximity of the suitcase. As for when these products will be made available for commercial use, both Samsung and Samsonite have not commented on the aforementioned query.
The multinational companies are not the only players that plan on releasing smart luggage in the foreseeable future. During October 2014, a startup firm was able to raise $2 million on Indiegogo by releasing a smart carry-on called Bluesmart that featured the same functions as the unnamed smart suitcase that Samsung and Samsonite plan on launching. Ramesh Tainwala, who is the CEO of Samsonite, told The Daily Mail:
"Smart luggage will be able to communicate with you but it needs to be able to do much more than just give its location. We are working with Samsung to create something that is more than a gimmick."
While speaking of smart luggage that do not need to be checked at the airport continuously, Tainwala states: "Emirates and Lufthansa are working on this. There is no reason why luggage can't get connected. If you can communicate with your bag then why not the airlines?"
Since the partnership between Samsung and Samsonite has just been announced, it is possible that the first prototype will be unveiled in 2016.
