The Airwheel Smart Luggage suitcases come in a few different sizes, but all feature the same basic design. (Airwheel)
Luggage is a vital part of any trip. But if you've ever carried it around, it's not a secret where that name comes from.
Because you are definitely lugging stuff around!
Having wheels on a suitcase makes things a bit easier. But now there's a new type of luggage that takes this concept to an entirely new level.
Meet the Airwheel Smart Luggage. It is a rideable suitcase. Now that is travelling in style! (Or rather, travelling very short distances in style while waiting to travel further, hopefully also in style!)
Zoomies!
This definitely brings new meaning to taking your bag on a trip. (Airwheel)
The device is essentially an electric scooter that is built into the frame of a typical carryon suitcase. The gadget makes quite a bit of sense once you visit the Airwheel website and realize that what they make most of the time are electric wheelchairs and other personal mobility devices.
Their smart luggage is definitely a more unusual product though.
The scooter is surprisingly powerful. It is capable of going 10 km/h (6 mph), which is the same speed as the average jog/run of an adult human. What's more, it has the range of 9.5 km, meaning that you could ride this thing full throttle for almost an hour before the battery dies. Ultimately, it has enough power to navigate even the world's largest airports.
(For example, the longest possible walk inside a U.S. airport to get from one connecting flight to another flight is 3.47 km, or 2.16 miles, at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.)
And when the battery does run out of juice, you can simply pull up a telescopic handle and wheel the bag around yourself like most other wheeled suitcases.
Powering your trip
And because this is the age of smart tech, the bag can also do a whole pile of other things.
It can act as a USB charging port for phones and other devices. It can be programmed to use an internal camera to follow its owner around (although we've got to be honest, we're not sure how much we would trust that in a really crowded airport). And it even has owner recognition technology to prevent hijackers from stealing your sweet ride, not to mention all of the personal items inside.
Whenever one of the these smart gadgets come along, we always find ourselves asking the same question: Is this the way all luggage will be one day? Or is it just a neat idea that won't really catch on?
It's tough to know, but one thing is for sure. We would happily take this curious suitcase scooter for a spin. Sounds like a great way to pass the time in between flights!
Watch a video for the device below.
Would make life for us who have knee problems when walking distances in airports.