AZURE 2015-03-04

3
print-as-you-go
gear
Lost Luggage, a concept by Janne Kyttänen, gives new meaning to the expression “travel
light.” The 3‐D printing maverick, who helms Freedom of Creation in amsterdam, foresees a
day when we will carry data files of essentials for a trip, from a change of clothes to a pair of
heels. Before jetting off with just the shirt on your back, you’ll email a file to your hotel, which
will then crank out a mini‐wardrobe in time for your arrival. (as its name implies, the concept
could also provide a solution to actually losing your luggage – unlikely in the future perfect.)
For the prototype, displayed last spring at rotterdam’s Galerie VIVID, the contents and the
bag were printed in one go: a sultry, versatile dress, a pair of yellow wedges, a digital watch
and a knuckle‐ duster, among other stylish baubles, all came to life inside a 3‐D‐printed
version of a paco rabanne tote bag. The future sure looks sharp. jannekyttanen. com
– ELIzaBETh paGLIaCoLo
4
luggage
you
can’t lose
5
passport
chic
We live in an age when adventure travel stunts are recorded
and shared even before we hit the end of a zip line. plexiDrone,
by DreamQii of Toronto, is one among many unmanned aerial
photography options crowding the drone market, though it aims
to appeal to everyone, not just extreme sports enthu si asts.
operated via an app, the one‐kilogram device can carry various
camera models (from Gopro to Sony action Cams and Bublcams),
and its stylish hard shell case lets users unpack, unfold and
release their toys anywhere in under a minute. once the drone
is airborne, the Follow me function tracks GpS signals from your
smart phone, and it even issues low‐fuel alerts (in a haughty
British voice). Six engineers developed it while attending ryerson
University in Toronto, and by last November they had raised over
$US1 million via Indiegogo. plexiDrone CEo Klever Freire, 30,
is confident that it will do well when it hits the market this spring.
“We’ll double in size over the next few months,” he says.
plexidrone.com – mIChaEL harrIS
In august, the world’s first smart carry‐on
will roll off the assembly line and into the
hands of the most tech‐savvy globetrotters
flying the skies. The 3.8‐ kilogram
Bluesmart, developed by a group of travelobsessed
friends who run their tech
company out of New York, is a marvel of
conveniences you might not even know
you needed. an app lets you know where
your stuff is, in case it doesn’t show up on
the baggage carousel; and if the carry‐on
strays too far away, it locks automatically
via a proximity heat map. a digital scale
built into the handle measures weight with
a gentle tug. and no worries that all of
those features will be deemed useless if
you forget to charge your phone. The
built‐in battery holds enough juice to
power up six times over. $280 pre-order,
bluesmart. com – ErIN DoNNELLY
Norway is on a mission to make every
detail of its citizens’ journey beautiful,
starting with the passport. The government
has unveiled a new graphic
identity for the document by oslo studio
Neue. The cover boasts vibrant hues,
in turquoise, white and red, but the real
innovation begs a closer look. For the
inside pages, the team designed a subtle
depiction of the country’s mountainous
landscape. When you shine a UV light on
the image, it shifts to night, and a ribbon
unfurls in the sky, morphing from purple
to green like the northern lights. “The
beautiful weather that has historically
shaped and affected our surroundings –
we wanted to show its power, and how
it changes the country’s whole scenery
in the winter darkness,” says creative
director Benjamin Stenmarck. No word
yet on when the government will begin
issuing the passports, as it is now finetuning
the security features. neue.no – E.p.
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