A Suitcase Fit for Bond

I don't know if it's the Fatboy Slim supplied music on the product site, or the hyperbolic marketing blurb ("How is it we put a man on the Moon 40 years before the idea of power assisted luggage?" - Neil Armstrong MD), but the the new Live Luggage power-assisted suitcases have got me absurdly excited.

The list of specifications makes us think that the suitcase is the product of some crazed British eccentric (the company is based in the UK). First, and possibly best, is the Anti-Gravity Handle, which isn't actually some new non-Newtonian device but a handle which simply swings out as well as up, leaving the majority of the weight on the wheels. Then, there is a built in mini-umbrella. How could it be more English? This pop-out parasol is secreted in a compartment behind the handle, ready for the ever-looming showers of the British Isles.

But the main gimmick here is the power assistance. The motors are entirely housed inside the wheels, so precious interior space is preserved, and they run on Li-ion batteries (charger included). The batteries will power the case at a maximum of 5 km/h (3mph) for two hours. On flat ground, and with loads under 15lbs, the motors stay off. But when it is tilted and you tug the handle, the motors kick in, powering the luggage up curbs and over rough ground. The wheels also trickle-charge the battery when free-wheeling.

The price for this luxury? $1,365. If only the umbrella, too, were anti-gravity, we wouldn't even need the plane. We could fly to our destination like Mary Poppins.

Product page [Live Luggage via The Raw Feed]

by Charlie Sorrel for Wired.com

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