German luggage maker Rimowa has added e-ink displays to their latest line of luggage, allowing airline apps to transmit the correct details to your luggage via bluetooth. A dedicated drop-off area lets you skip the line and priority handling/VIP status can even be transmitted.
Two regular AAA batteries are good for around 500 tag changes and according to Engadget the e-ink display only requires power to add a new tag, so the existing tag will be fine even if the battery dies in transit. The display is made of Gorilla glass and Rimowa claims that the tag is less likely to be damaged than a normal paper tag.
Lufthansa is currently supporting the tags while United is testing them. Check out Rimowa’s website for a full interactive demonstration.
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5 comments
So does it use lithium Ion batteries? Just wondering as those are banded from luggage in many places for good reason.
No, it uses AAA batteries, as stated in the article. These are Alkaline batteries.
This sounds great until someone figures out how to hack them.
I thought batteries aren’t allowed in the check-in baggage?
If you’re wondering about the power consumption, the E Ink screen only uses power when it changes what’s displayed, and the battery inside is good for hundreds, if not thousands of changes before it require replacement.