This week we were introduced to a new Segway which turns into a robot helper capable of following you around.
Now, with NUA Robotics’ smart suitcase, which is also able to follow its owner, CES 2016 has painted a vision of the future where all of us will be walking around flanked by a fleet of robots and smart devices.
Great news for friendless types who always dreamed of commanding a smart device squad, but we can’t help but worry about the notion of allowing our airport luggage to roam free.
Still, the suitcase includes some impressive features, including the ability to charge your devices.
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It connects to your phone using Bluetooth, allowing you to control it using an app which will also tell you where the suitcase is and the weight of its contents.
The device uses a built-in camera sensor with proximity detection to survey its surroundings and follow you around on any flat surface.
There’s also a built-in theft alarm, which minimises the whole ‘someone is definitely going to steal this’ concern, although how the device will be able to tell whether its you picking it up or not remains unclear.
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The suitcase is currently in the testing phase, with NUA Robotics showing off an early prototype at CES.
But Alex Libman, co-founder and CEO of the Israeli company, told Mashable that he hopes to have a consumer version available in about a year.
Just how airport security will deal with a bag that’s been out of the owner’s sight for most of the time remains to be seen, but if the device takes off it means an end to lugging around heavy bags.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
