When I flew to Las Vegas for the annual CES trade show in 2014 my airline gave my suitcase a little side trip. While I arrived in Las Vegas safe and sound, my clothes flew off to parts unknown. It took the airline four days to locate and deliver my luggage - just in time for my return trip home.
Every frequent traveller has had a similar experience and every one of them would love to know just what happened to their baggage and their possessions. A new gadget called BagSentry plans to tell them.
Developed by CargoSense Inc., BagSentry is a sensor that can record when and how often a bag is opened and if it’s dropped, damaged or left out in the rain. And it will deliver a detailed report that can be used to support a claim for lost luggage or damaged contents.
The sensor is housed in device that’s slightly larger than an ordinary thumb drive and it’s programmed using a mobile app. Users input in the airline, travel date and flight numbers and toss the sensor in with their clothes and other items.
The sentinel has a light sensor, so it knows when the bag is opened, a shock sensor and the ability to recognize the airport where it departed and landed. After a trip, the data can be transferred to a computer using a USB connection and BagSentry software will produce a detailed report.
CargoSense has completed development of the sensing device and it has a Kickstarter campaign under way with a goal of $100,000 to finance development of app. Backers who contribute $80 or more will be in line to get one of the first BagSentry units along with six trip reports.
The BagSentry system is scheduled to be available in the spring of 2016 with a list price of about $130 with a fee of about $4 for each trip report.
For more details, check out the video below and the full description on the Kickstarter page. You can also follow BagSentry’s progress @bagsentry on Twitter.