Would You Buy This Suitcase That Follows You Around?
Sick and tired of dragging your luggage behind you, or hauling around a cumbersome duffel?
ForwardX Robotics recently debuted their Ovis smart carry-on, which uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to recognize its owner, and follow him or her around (at a leisurely speed of up to 6.2 miles per hour).
"Originally, I was inspired by a robotics competition and realized that we could build a personal robot like R2-D2," ForwardX Robotics CEO, Nicolas Chee, told The Points Guy.
"We decided to build the technology for an intelligent rolling robot [that] customers could get access to immediately in the form of a self-driving suitcase," Chee said.
Unlike other smart suitcases that promise to follow their owners (yes, there are multiple) Ovis can analyze its owner's face and specific dimensions — as well as the surrounding environment — so it knows precisely who to follow, even in crowded airports.
Ovis (in Latin, that means sheep) can follow behind you and right alongside you: no wristband or remote control required. A ForwardX spokesperson claimed that while other prototypes have touted similar tracking capabilities, Ovis is the first suitcase of its kind to go to market with truly autonomous side-follow functionality.
During two separate demos in New York City, the TPG team got to play with the straight-out-of-sci-fi suitcase. The results? It's still a bit finicky.
The current prototype sometimes struggles to keep up and has a habit of zipping off in the wrong direction. On more than one occasion, it also bumped clumsily into the person it was supposed to be following.
If the Forward X Robotics team is able to keep Ovis from getting confused, it could be a smart solution for travelers who struggle with carrying heavy bags through the airport, or parents with young kids who want their hands free. And I suspect my father, who loves new technology even when it's more gimmick than marvel (sorry, Dad) would get a kick out of Ovis, too.
Ovis has plenty of other useful features, including a GPS tracker and weight sensor — important, considering it weighs just shy of 10 pounds empty. And despite the recent fall of major smart bag makers, Ovis is doubling down with its FAA-approved lithium-ion battery. Removable, of course.
If having a suitcase that follows you around sounds way more cool than creepy, it's available for pre-order from Indiegogo for $399. It's not expected to ship out until December 2018, however, so the Forward X team still has time to improve the technology and get Ovis airport-ready.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
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- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
- Top rated mobile app