After an endless trek from one end to the other of JFK’s Terminal 4 last night, even this wild idea is starting to look good: a carry-on suitcase that will carry you to the gate.
Modobag is in prototype, and is running an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to go to the next step: actual production and sales. The product? A 19-pound (but you don’t care about the weight, you’re not carrying it) cross between a motorized scooter and a small suitcase that is theoretically OK in an airliner overhead compartment.
Actually, that’s where you may care about the weight. Nineteen pounds plus your stuff may be a lift. The developers say the 200-watt electric motor paired with a LiOn battery is good for about 6 miles at 8 mph with a 180-pound passenger. It’s supposedly already okayed by TSA and FAA, although some writers have questioned whether that battery and motor will really be allowed.
The goal for marketing is early 2017, with an early-bird price of $995. Speaking of baggage charges…this one fits in more ways than one!