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Smartphones. They didn’t just change the way we connect to each other and the world around us. They also kick-started a trend in electronic device technology that has taken on a life of its own.
Everything is ‘smart’ these days. Smart TVs, smart watches, smart glasses, smart refrigerators, even smart doorbells. And yes, you can also purchase luggage for your travels that apparently exists on a higher plane of intelligence.
So what does all this cleverness mean? In device speak, ‘smart’ is basically shorthand for anything fitted with a computer chip and capable of communicating with other devices.
Once upon a time, only actual computers were deemed worthy of the honour of containing a computer ship. But these days, the thinking seems to be, if you can plug it in or shove a battery in it, you might as well throw in a motherboard and processor, too. Albeit usually in miniaturised form.
The point? Well let’s have a look at what the addition of a mini processing unit to something that isn’t even an electrical device, like luggage, can achieve.
Remote control
First and foremost, smart bags offer connectivity. Via WiFi and/or Bluetooth, you can connect your smart luggage to apps on your phone.
This opens the door to various possibilities. Some brands of smart baggage, for example, feature electronic locks that you control from your phone. The idea being, if you don’t have the phone, you can’t operate the locks, which provides an extra layer of security when your bags aren’t with you. Some smart bags also feature tamper sensors which will alert you via your phone if anyone tries to mess with the locks.
Another common feature is the inclusion of an electronic scale in the handle of the bag. When you pick it up, you can see how heavy it is on your smartphone screen. No more nasty surprises when you try to check your luggage in, only to discover you’ve gone wildly over the weight limit.
But by far the most talked-about feature of smart luggage is remote tracking. With a GPS sensor fitted, bags need never go missing again (in theory, at least). As long as the GPS sensor is functioning, you can track the location of your bags from your smartphone anywhere in the world, using coordinates pinged between your luggage and satellites orbiting the Earth.
This particular feature of smart luggage has gained a lot of attention recently due to soaring cases of baggage going missing in airports. A staffing crisis in the aviation industry has led to baggage handling operations being swamped by the post-COVID surge in air travel. With understaffed teams lacking the latest type of equipment to keep up with the high demand, thousands of travellers have arrived at their destination to find their luggage never made it with them – or even ended up being loaded on a different plane altogether by mistake. Fortunately, with the integration of the latest equipment, including a state-of-the-art airport baggage tug to handle any load, staff are able to efficiently transport luggage to and from terminals and ensure that luggage reaches its destination without delay.
With the scale of the chaos meaning airlines and airports are often able to provide very little assistance to travellers who have been separated from their luggage, people have been turning into do-it-yourself baggage sleuths to hunt down their lost belongings themselves – all thanks to tracking technology.
But are airlines on board?
There are, however, some drawbacks to smart luggage – including the fact that you might not be allowed to take it on your flight. Which kind of defeats the point, really.
There have been a number of reports of passengers being refused boarding with smart luggage, with airlines including EasyJet, RyanAir and British Airways confirming that it is their policy not to allow smart bags on board unless they are disconnected from their power supply.
Most smart bags contain lithium battery packs to power the electronics. From an airline’s perspective, leaving these connected poses a potential fire hazard. However, from a passenger’s perspective, disconnecting the power would defeat one of the main objectives of having smart luggage in the first place. No power, no tracking. It would be of no use whatsoever if your bags went missing after they were checked in.
If you can’t leave your smart luggage switched on and operational for the duration of a flight, it doesn’t sound so clever after all. If you are concerned about your bags going missing, you could try attaching a standalone tracking device like AppleTags, which don’t appear to fall foul of aviation safety protocols.
But the best protection against your luggage going missing is to take out travel insurance to cover the value of all your belongings. Ok, so it won’t tell you where your bags have gone or help reunite you with them. But if you land somewhere without the majority of your personal possessions, at least you know you can go and buy replacements and claim back the money.
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