In 2015, the technology market was dominated by smartwatches and wearable technology. This year, however, attention has turned to smart suitcases, designed to make travelling less stressful and more secure and comfortable.

Leading the charge is Bluesmart, a California-based company offering carry-on-sized luggage from $US399 ($599 at Strandbags). By using an in-built GPS mapping system, the suitcase can tell you its exact location and send you a message via the Bluesmart app if you’ve walked away without it. The bag also features a battery pack that connects to your phone, camera or tablet by the USB ports inside and on the back. It also comes with a handle that can calculate the bag’s weight, automatic locking and a secondary laptop compartment.

Sporting similar features as the Bluesmart bag, Trunkster’s smart suitcase is available in two sizes and starts at $US355. The zipper-less case (it uses a sliding roll-top door) is drop-, impact- and water-resistant and also has a removable power bank that can charge an iPhone up to eight times, as well as an integrated digital scale built into the handle. Location tracking is available for an additional charge ($US60) and is powered by LugLoc anywhere in the world with GSM coverage.

In the bag…

And there are more smart suitcases to come soon. Luggage powerhouse Samsonite has teamed up with Samsung to develop a self-propelling carry-on that follows its owner around and alerts travellers when their luggage is unlocked from an aircraft or about to arrive on the carousel.

Similarly, French luggage company Delsey is developing the Pluggage, a smart suitcase that will connect via Delsey’s app to your smartphone. Features will include weight measurement, check lock and onboard detection.

Launch dates for both of these bags are not yet available but they’ll be priced around $US600.



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