Cowa Robot is a suitcase that follows you like a puppy
The suitcase robot will soon be available on Kickstarter next month and the project plans to ship to backers by September.
It doesn't have multiple tiny feet or lots of big square teeth, nor is it made out of sapient pearwood, but Shanghai-based Cowa's walking suitcase has already got lazy me falling in love with it. And you would too, once you realised you would almost never have to lift a finger to drag your carry-on luggage with you on vacation.
Of course, it's not perfect: the Cowa Robot doesn't gobble down your enemies, nor climb into the boot of the car by itself or up the stairs and it also doesn't look like a treasure chest, but hey, this is the real world, and luggage that follows you around like an adoring puppy takes us all one step closer to our perfect sci-fi future.
The aluminum suitcase weighs 4.5kg (about 10 pounds), which puts you a mere 2.5kg away from the usual cabin limit, and is heavier than polycarbonate carry-ons but is still as light as the metal ones from Rimowa (which seems to have inspired the Cowa Robot's looks).
If you're worried you'll lose this luggage, Cowa says it comes with an embedded 3G SIM card that helps you locate it and it can even automatically roll its way back to you if you desire. The luggage is powered by a removable 100wh battery that also serves as a power bank, and gives the luggage a range of around 20km.
To avoid crashing into you or other people, the Cowa Robot has two systems built in for obstacle detection and avoidance, and the active wheel automatically retracts when you touch the handle. Cowa also said that it's planning to add an algorithm to let the luggage follow alongside you in the next two months or so.
The Cowa Robot will launch on Kickstarter next month, and will come in two versions. A nonrobotic version is supposed to ship in July while the robotic version is supposed to ship in September. Bear in mind that not all Kickstarters deliver as promised. Pricing has not yet been unveiled, but Cowa says it will be similar to what you'd pay for a carry-on from Rimowa or Samsonite, so don't expect it to be cheap.