像寵物狗一樣走哪跟哪的智能行李箱
Thanks to this new hands free suitcase, carrying around heavy luggage may soon become a thing of the past. Designed by Israeli company NUA Robotics, this 'smart' suitcase is the technological equivalent of Mary's little lamb – it'll follow you everywhere you go.
多虧這種新型智能行李箱解放了人們的雙手，搬運沉重的行李箱將很快成爲歷史。以色列靈性機器人公司研發出一種智能行李箱，它就像瑪麗的小羊羔一樣，主人走到哪它就跟到哪。
The carry-on suitcase, currently a prototype, connects to a smartphone app via bluetooth. It has a built-in camera sensor that can 'see' you and follow you around on flat surfaces like airport floors. It comes with an anti-theft alarm to prevent someone snatching it away when you're not looking, and, for the icing on the cake, it has a backup battery that you can use to charge all your devices.
這種隨身行李箱通過藍牙與主人智能手機上的應用程序相連，現在尚處於雛形階段。箱子內置了攝像頭探測器，只要是在像機場地面一樣平坦的路面上，行李箱就可以“看”到主人並一直跟隨其後。箱子還配備了防盜報警器，以防主人不注意時被人偷走。此外，更令人欣喜的是，箱子還配有備用電池，可以給所有設備充電。
"It can follow and carry things for people around while communicating with their smartphone, and avoiding obstacles," explained Alex Libman, founder of NUA Robotics. "We're combining sensor network, computer vision, and robotics. So if you download our app, press the 'follow me' button, the luggage recognizes the specific user and knows to follow and communicate."
靈性機器人公司的創辦人亞歷克斯·利布曼解釋道：“這種行李箱可以在和智能手機連接的情況下搬着行李跟隨主人到處行走，並避開路障。我們將傳感器網絡、計算機視覺和機器人結合在了一起。所以如果你下載了我們的應用，只需按一下'跟我走'按鈕，行李箱就會識別特定的用戶，跟隨該用戶並與之交流。”
NUA is still testing the device and trying improve features like speed and customization, but they hope to make the suitcase available to customers in a year's time. If it proves successful, they want to use the Bluetooth pairing technology to automate lots of other devices, like shopping carts at the supermarket. These devices are especially meant to be useful to the physically disabled and elderly. "Any object can be smart and robotic,” Libman told Mashable. “We want to bring robots into everyday life."
靈性機器人公司目前仍在測試這一設備並致力於提高速度和客戶定製等功能，不過他們希望這種行李箱在一年後就能與消費者見面。如果這種行李箱獲得成功，他們想用藍牙配對技術來推進許多其他設備的自動化，如超市裏的購物車。這些設備對殘疾人和老年人尤其有用。利布曼在Mashable網站上說：任何物體都可以變得智能化和自動化，我們希望把機器人帶進人們的日常生活。
The Israeli tech company made it clear that the smart suitcase they recently unveiled is just a prototype, and that the finished product will look just like a regular suitcase. They're planning to partner with a carry-on luggage maker, since the device that makes it 'smart' weighs just 2.5 pounds and can be fitted on old-fashion luggage.
這家以色列技術公司聲稱，他們最近公開的智能行李箱僅僅是一個雛形，成品的外形將是一個常規的行李箱。他們將和隨身行李製造商合作，因爲這種讓行李箱變得“智能”的設備重量只有2.5磅，可以安裝在舊式行李箱中。
Having to carry around heavy luggage is literally a burden, so NUA could be on to something with their smart suitcase, but it will be interesting how their invention will handle tough obstacles like stairs.
攜帶沉重的行李確實是一個負擔，所以靈性機器人公司發明智能手提箱還算挺有眼光，不過他們的發明要如何搞定像樓梯這種高低不平的障礙呢？讓我們拭目以待。
