Travel in Style for the New Year with a Robotic Suitcase

Traveling by plane is an increasingly popular means of travel. According to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the year 2015 saw a record-breaking 1.2 billion international tourists. This doesn’t even take into account the number of flights made by those traveling within their own country. The year 2016 likely broke another record.

Traveling by plane is also a hassle. For those who choose to carry their own luggage, going from Point A to Point B could be a tiresome endeavor. Which is why Travelmate Robotics has devised a solution: a fully autonomous, robotic suitcase!

Photo Credit: Travelmate Robotics

Photo Credit: Travelmate Robotics

Using machine learning AI, this robotic suitcase is able to optimize its movement in accordance to where you’re moving, how fast, and if any objects are in its way. Its omni wheels provide increased stability and range of motion unseen by its competitors. And if you’re worried that its electronic components might take up space, they only account for 5% of the suitcase’s volume.

When in full autonomous mode, this robotic suitcase has a battery life of 4 hours. When in standby mode, those 4 hours shoot up to 100 hours. The battery can be easily removed and charged using wireless technology. And if any of your additional electronics need to be charged, the battery contains a USB port for you to charge them.

The catch: Travelmate Robotics needs your help in bringing their robotic suitcase to commercial scale production. They’ve set up a crowdfunding page at Indiegogo with a funding goal of $4,000. They’ve already surpassed this amount, but if you want one yourself, you better hurry up because you’ve only got 8 days left. They’re currently available for $399, with a likely higher retail price post-production.

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS

What Travelmate Robotics has done isn’t just provide a fully autonomous suitcase, but a robotic companion as well. It might not contain any of the typical anthropomorphic features we tend to associate with modern robots, but its autonomy and service capabilities make it just as much a robot as the others. In fact, the future is likely to bring forth a whole assortment of robots which vary in both size and appearance.

Not all of them will look like humans nor will they all be of a similar size. Some will operate without you even realizing that a robot is in operation. Some will be so small that they’ll be operating inside of your bloodstream to keep your organs healthy, whereas others will be operating in our skies to help us combat against tornados and hurricanes. These will be the faceless robots that’ll cater to our every need and desire. And most of us won’t even realize it.