As we have written about in the past, losing your luggage when traveling is a serious problem that thousands of people suffer from every year. Companies and private inventors have been working towards a solution to this problem—most of which require a tag attached to the outside of the bag in question, and many don’t actually use the more reliable GPS technology.
The newest iteration of bag-tracking solutions doesn’t involve any kind of tag; the tracking is done by the bag itself. Introducing the KONAS luggage and hiking backpacks, which contain a tracking chip that works with WiFi, GSM and GPS to allow travelers to track the location with a smartphone. This service is currently free of charge to all users.
The bags are currently in development and the creators, Michael and Kristina Konas, are looking to raise an additional $50,000 on Indiegogo. There are several different tiers of pledges, and several of them include free luggage or hiking bags and all of them include lifetime free tracking service.
“For those who back us in this initial development stage, the tracking service is free for life,” Konas said. “Even if we have to make it paid service in the future, our early investors will still have it free.”
In addition to tracking luggage, they decided to add tracking chips to hiking bags to allow hikers to locate each other while exploring the trail and let family members keep track of their loved ones while they adventure in the great outdoors, adding a sense of security and peace of mind when traversing the most remote locations.
KONAS luggage and backpacks house the tracking chip in a waterproof case embedded in the bag for added protection. And in order to meet FAA regulations for the luggae, the device automatically shuts off when an airplane is in flight and turns on when the plane lands. The specially designed case will let signal in and out but the device will not be harmed by magnetic forces or x-rays typically used by the airlines to scan the bags.
“It’s the world’s best luggage,” said Michael Konas, CEO of KONAS. “We wanted to make it possible to track your belongings wherever you travel. Currently we are on the third and final generation prototype.” The Indiegogo funding project will end on August 11, 2014 and it still has a long way to go before the bags will be funded.
