Tag: travel

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Connected Objects Luggage and Bags Robots/Drones Travel

Travelmate robotic suitcase follows wherever you go while traveling

Frequent problems that travelers face, especially while on their own, include not having enough hands to carry everything and suitcases hitting other travelers’ legs while being wheeled around. And then there’s the universal problem all travelers face when trying to figure out how much a valise weighs to avoid airline charges.

Travelmate is a robotic suitcase that responds to the user’s gestures and will follow him or her around without being carried or pulled, making traveling easier. The autonomous robot companion is also smart enough to avoid any obstacles in its way thanks to its Follow Me system’s built-in sensors that detect and avoid obstacles including people and furniture. Its GPS chip helps orient the suitcase and allows users to know the location of the suitcase at all times, in conjunction with a companion app for unspecified mobile devices. Travelmate uses artificial learning and machine learning to optimize its movements, while its omni wheels allow for increased stability and range of motion.

Travelmate also has a touch-enabled lock system that scans the user’s fingerprint to open the suitcase, while a built-in scale that will accurately measure the weight of a suitcase’s contents. It touts a battery life of four hours when in full autonomous mode and up to 100 hours in stand-by mode when it’s used just like a normal suitcase. Multi- colored LED lighting is featured on all Travelmate models and informs the user of the suitcase’s battery level.

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Connected Objects Luggage and Bags Travel

Serenity Now! Bag guardian goes beyond Bluetooth item finders

Some of the countless bags carried every single day hold people’s most prized possessions but offer little in the way of theft protection beyond a lock that’s easily compromised once the bag has been absconded. The one surefire way nothing untoward happens to it all is to keep constant vigil — an umpleasant expectation on a packed morning commute or enjoying a much needed island vacation.

Serenity has been designed to achieve peace of mind. This connected tag attaches to any bag and syncs with a smartphone to offer users a variety of different ways to keep an indirect eye on their goods. For starters, theft detection and deterrence are built-in. By syncing a user’s devices to the tag, it can sense when the bag is being moved by someone other than its owner, letting off a wailing 170dB alarm when it happens. At the same time, it can also regulate access to a single pocket by requiring either a keycode or its corresponding smartphone to be in range in order to avoid the alarm from tripping while being opened, going as far as reminding users about their open pockets when it isn’t busy standing guard.

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Connected Objects Travel

AirBolt will help prevent your luggage from disappearing into thin air

Luggage security is an ongoing concern for travelers. But traditional luggage locks are problematic for several reasons, whether they require keys or combinations. The keys are easy to lose, while combinations are easy to forget.

AirBolt is a smartphone-controlled travel lock that doesn’t require a key or users to remember combinations. The device is relatively small and features a die-cast zinc body, along with a rugged stainless steel rope that allows users to attach AirBolt to places that include a bag’s zipper. It operates on Bluetooth 4.2 and features a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that lasts for one year, according to AirBolt’s Kickstarter campaign.

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Cell Phone Accessories Food and Beverage Tablet Accessories Travel

Airhook makes airline trays useful when they’re in the upright and locked position

Anyone who flies knows that the tray table is an uncomfortable evil that food and drinks often claim at the expense of tablet-resident entertainment or productivity.

Airhook is a compact, portable solution that works with the existing tray tables but makes them more useful. The simple design features a collapsible hook that gets widged between the tray and the seat into which it folds. The cupholder portion folds down, making a convenient storage place for a drink throughout the duration of the flight – including take-off and landing.  The Airhook also features a docking station for a variety of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, with a bungee cord that helps lock the device in place from the top.

The design is well-executed, and the designers are selling Airhook for $20 each, to raise $15,000 by July 26, 2015, expecting delivery by December 2015. However, frequent travelers may find that the elastic may stretch with continued use, making the device less stable as time goes on.

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Luggage and Bags

GoBag gives clothes a squeeze to dodge luggage fees

Check or carry-on? With added charges and overages, more passengers are squeezing everything they can into those overhead bins.

The GoBag is a versatile bag designed with the journey in mind. The “Works” package includes the Max Pack Bag to pack clothes and other soft items. Then, by hand or vacuum, the bag compresses down for more carry-on space. There’s also an adaptable harness for a laptop, so it’s protected and easy to grab at security. The GoBag also features a clear “washbag” that detaches and slides right into the airport bins. The creators of the product ask $180 for “The Works”, and they are hoping to raise $70,392 by June 24th, 2015, with expected delivery in Oct 2015.

The GoBag brings the concept behind the long-available Space Bag to luggage. This rugged carry-on features zippers all around, so everything is easy to access on the go. Of course, if you need to pack things other than clothes that are easily compressible, it may have limited value.

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Organization

EazyPac helps pills and other small necessities come along for the ride.

Ever tossed a container into a backpack or diaper bag and had the contents spill on everything?  Or had to carry multiple containers for liquids or pastes, and another type for solids, just to avoid leaks?

The Eazy Pac is an all-in-one container that collapses to take up almost no room. The Eazy Pac is great for baby food, small snacks like nuts, and even shampoos and conditioners when traveling. Versatility is the name of the game, and it’s easy to use one container for multiple purposes. Due to the wide-mouth design, the washes easily so users get that peace of mind between uses. The containers also come in various colors, so they’re easy to identify without having to open them. For $17, backers get a pack of two in August 2015, and the creators hope to raise $30,000 by June 12, 2015.

A walk through any Container Store will yield no shortage of small containers that compete with the EasyPac. However, the product’s collapsible nature sets it apart somewhat.

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Sleep Travel

Sleeploop keeps your head up while napping, may not do same for dignity

Sleeping on the go is rarely comfortable in part because seats tend to make it difficult to keep one’s head from dipping forward. Many travel pillows have sought to make things better, but they;re often bulky and ineffective.

The SleepLoop uses a simple design to help sleepers who are sitting down and avoid that uncomfortable head roll – a literal pain the neck. The product features a padded section that serves as a pillow, and a long section to create tension. The padded loop cradles the chin and one ear. Then, the tail section threads [iunder the legs and pulled until comfortable. This allows the head to relax without rolling forward. At $28, the Sleeploop is fairly affordable. The campaign’s seeks $16,738 by June 23, 2015, with delivery expected September 2015.

The fairly compact Sleeploop could work well for travel but looks as silly as other options for travel. Aside from travelers, the Sleeploop could provide comfort for people required to sleep upright for various medical reasons.

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Cycling Kids/Babies

Swedish Påhoj offers a stroller and bike seat in one for the young on the run

Travelling with a toddler or small child can be quite the chore. Especially when you consider carseats, strollers, and other safety measures that must be taken.

The Swedish-made Påhoj hopes to make transporting kids a bit easier. This combination child bike seat and stroller clips onto bikes, but also has wheels for ground travel. The black seat looks like a much sleeker bike seat with holes in the back for ventilation. It comes equipped with foot rests and a retractable handle that stays out of the way on a bike, but comes in handy for the stroller. Påhoj is lightweight and has an adjustable harness for kids of different sizes.

The only thing missing from Påhoj’s campaign is specification of which ages the product is appropriate for. Other than that, this product will definitely come in handy for parents, especially those in bike-friendly cities and countries. One will cost kr2,260 (~$249) with estimated delivery in December 2015. Påhoj is looking for kr500,000 (~$57,800) in funding on Kickstarter.

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Lifestyle

Magic Mirror provides a full-length view on the go, won’t tell you Snow White’s whereabouts

Anyone who has owned a full-length mirror knows that, after experiencing the full view, it’s hard to go back. That is why traveling can sometimes be irritating because it’s impossible to bring that long mirror along.

To address this minor albeit vain issue, Magic Mirror has come up with a way to travel with mirror in tow. This product folds up into a lightweight package, but folds out to either provide a small makeup mirror or all the way out for a full length mirror. The outside comes in various fun colors. The unique folding design makes a couple of different configurations possible and, in most instances, the mirror can stand up on its own. For the full length, it comes with a strap at the top so it can easily be hung up wherever’s convenient.

While few would want to admit owning a Magic Mirror for fear of being accused of vanity, many could benefit from this product. It’s a clever way to stay looking cute while on the go. The campaign is marketing the product to music festival goers, which is a clever strategy considering the fact that summer is coming. For their own, backers must donate £28 (~$42). Magic Mirror is hoping to raise £7,500 (~$11,200) in funding with the help of Kickstarter.

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Home Pets

Apartment Pet Door lets your antsy animal gallivant while you relax

Pets can be a great way to have instant companionship, especially when one lives alone or is traveling alone. But for as wonderful as pet companionship can be, some pets have fidgety personalities and simply can’t decide if they’d rather be inside or outside.

Apartment Pet Door is a modular pet door that provides an elegant and mobile pet door solution for owners with pets who can’t make up their minds. The door is adjustable — from 82 to 92 inches — and just snaps right into place. The flap on the bottom of the door allows pets to come and go as they please without requiring owners to actively let them in or out. The product seems easy enough to install and may be worth checking out for anyone with an indecisive pet at home.

Of course, more mobility for pets might also increase the odds they wander off and get lost or, perhaps, get fleas. That said, pet owners might also want to check out Tool2Find, Arden Collar, and Kitty Tub. This campaign seeks to raise $22,000 by April 16, 2015. Early bird backer get one door for $99 with an expected delivery of June 2015.