While reading a recent idea on luggage identification and sorting, the idea came to me, why bother sorting luggage at all? Let 'em sort their own elves.

Using some simple locator circuitry from st3f's patented Flocking Road Cone technology across multiple frequencies would enable a 'mother hen' Pullman suitcase to gather her motorized 'chicks' around her, severely reducing the need to sort, within a limited range. Don't want to drag all of that heavy luggage? Just pull the mother hen around and the rest follow in a line.

Alternately, encode the 'chicks' to follow your wheelchair or motorized scooter wherever it goes.

Of course, the tough parts will be to condense the motor and battery to a practical size for luggage, and convince the FAA that they really do need more electronic 'noise' in airports. The bags could shut down automatically upon luggage scan and reactivated via a key-fob.
-- RayfordSteele, Dec 30 2002

Inspired by... http://www.halfbake...Grouping_20Protocol
[RayfordSteele, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

(??) battery vending machines http://web.media.mi...dergy/vendergy.html
a solution to your battery wear-down problem [rahulb, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Fllcoking right! http://vimeo.com/45966677
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 20 2012]

Heh, cute. I can just see this turning up as the subject of a Pixar cartoon. Problem is that you'd be forever tripping over mobile suitcases at the airport and a bag might get quite agitated if placed in a seperate cargo box from its peers on the plane.

Would a lost suitcase wander sadly around the airport, or join another convoy?
-- madradish, Dec 30 2002


"Did you pack all of this luggage yourself?
Has anyone unknown to you given you anything to take on board?
Has anyone altered the transponder frequencies or codes of your motorized luggage?"
-- RayfordSteele, Dec 30 2002


I keep misreading these "flocking" ideas as "Fucking Luggage" and "Fucking Road Cones."
-- AfroAssault, Dec 31 2002


An episode of Red Dwarf had motorised luggage in it that complained that its owner had been sent to the wrong hotel again.
-- kaz, Jan 01 2003


They done baked it! [link]
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 20 2012



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