Meet the self-driving suitcase

HELP is at hand for travellers with the weighty problem of dealing with baggage.

The ‘ robot suitcase’ from Travelmate, unveiled at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, can be controlled with a smartphone app and can roll alongside its owner at speeds up to 11kph, navigating around obstacles.

“This is really a robot which follows you around,” said California-based startup Travelmate founder and president Maximillian Kovtun.

Travelmate designed the device with elements of artificial intelligence to roll at a pace that matches that of the user, or to be directed with the smartphone app like a drone.

Priced at around US$1,100 (RM4,362), it is slated to roll out in February for the US market, and later in Europe and Japan.

Chinese startup ForwardX founder Nicholas Chee showed a prototype of a suitcase at the CES that is designed to be used with facial recognition, without need for a smartphone app.

“It uses computer vision and a driving algorithm to have a clear path,” said Chee.

Expected to launch in mid2018 at US$1,000 (RM3,965), the ForwardX suitcase also has gesture control technology and can be immobilised to protect against theft.

Both Travelmate and ForwardX say their lithium-ion batteries, banned in checked luggage, can be removed. – AFPRelaxnews