TraxPack is luggage with tracks built in to help travelers going up and down stairs. Image: TraxPack

There have been many “smart luggage” companies started in recent years, and the innovations are mostly the same: an in-suitcase device charger, a weight scale and location tracking.

The founders of TraxPack are trying to do something a bit different, however, launching a Kickstarter Tuesday for a smart suitcase that — in addition to the usual bells and whistles — makes it easier to go up and down stairs.

The idea to take the “lug” out of “luggage,” according to co-founders Naisha Joseph and Richard Braddock, came from personal experience. Joseph had recently been on a trip to Jamaica where she had to carry a heavy suitcase up several flights of stairs late at night. Braddock, who told Mashable he likes to fix things, thought there had to be a better way.

Image: TraxPack

So he's come up with TraxPack, a standard-size carry-on roller bag with tracks on one side to allow a person to pull the suitcase up stairs.

The tracks are not motorized, so the bag won't do all the work for you, but the weight of the packed suitcase creates friction against the edges of the stairs, turning what would otherwise be a heavy lift into a smooth one.

Besides the tracks, the luggage also has a built-in weight scale, proximity sensor, device stand and charger. Image: TraxPack

Joseph and Braddock came up with the idea because of their own experience traveling with heavy luggage. Image: TraxPack

The tracks are not motorized; the weight of the bag creates friction to help keep the bag moving in the right direction. Image: TraxPack

The handle, meanwhile, does triple duty. It extends first to be used when the bag is upright, then further extends to be long enough to hold comfortably while pulling TraxPack upstairs. And, when you're done going up and down all those staircases, the handle tilts to provide a device stand (like for a tablet).

Joseph and Braddock are launching the Kickstarter to get funding to bring their prototype to the masses.

Because no “smart” luggage would be complete without it, TraxPack also includes a baggage positioning system (with accompanying smartphone app that will beep if your bag gets too far away from you), a built-in luggage scale, the mobile device stand, dual USB ports for charging devices and TSA-approved locks.

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By Jessica Plautz

Source: mashable.com