New 'Smart Suitcase' Could Be Just What Frequent Travelers Have Been Looking For

In a world full of smartphones, smart TVs and smart cars, the world's first "smart suitcase" should come as no surprise.

Last year, a group of students, product designers, engineers and entrepreneurs set out to develop the ultimate 21st century suitcase. They ended up with a New York City-based company called Bluesmart. Now that company has just announced “the world’s first smart, connected carry-on suitcase."

Image source: YouTube/Bluesmart

Its built-in sensors and GPS allow it to communicate with your smartphone. In case you're wondering why your smartphone would need to "talk" to your suitcase, consider these scenarios:

• You're waiting for your flight at the airport so you decide to kill some time by grabbing a bite to eat. You take your suitcase with you to order and sit it down beside you while you're paying the cashier. When you turn around your suitcase is gone. The GPS device inside of the suitcase will allow you to track the exact location of your lost luggage right from your smartphone.
• While you're running toward wherever your phone tells you your suitcase is, you can be sure that whoever has it can't take anything out of it by using your smartphone to lock your suitcase.
• Perhaps you're in a rush to the airport and you don't have enough time to drag your suitcase into the bathroom and plop it up on the scale to see how much it weighs. No problem. Just use the built-in digital scale, look at your smartphone screen and find out how much it weighs almost instantly.
• Or what if you realize your phone's battery is low while you're waiting for your plane to arrive? All the outlets in the waiting area are being used, but you still some have important emails to send. There's no need to go scouting for a hidden electrical outlet in some unknown corner of the terminal. Bluesmart even comes with an integrated phone charger so you can charge your device wherever you are.

If you're a frequent traveler, this latest innovation could be just what you've been waiting for. In that case, here are a few more details and specs:

The sleek carry-on bag is made of polycarbonate and aluminum, weighs 8.5 pounds, measures 21.5 inches by 14 inches by 9 inches and will be available for purchase in August 2015 for $450. However, if you donate enough money to the product's Indiegogo campaign you can purchase one for just $235.

Check out this video to learn more about how Bluesmart works and discover its incredible, never-before seen features:

(H/T: Slate)

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