Olive: The World’s First Intelligent Suitcase

PayvandNews – A team of Iranian researchers at Tehran’s Pardis Technology Park (PTP), using tracking algorithms, have recently presented a robotic intelligent suitcase. According to the public relations department of PTP, Olive Intelligent Robotic Suitcase is the outcome of efforts by the engineers at Idea Kavan San’at Pardis Company (IKAP) . The suitcase is able to follow its owner and give him/her a ride in a time of need.

Eng. Hamid Anbari stated about this robot: “Olive suitcase is an intelligent technology which has special capabilities in both physical and digital parts. The physical capability provides a balanced motion for the suitcase to ride on two wheels like Segway’s technology (self-balanced electric bicycle), and be a locomotion system for its owner. The digital capability of the suitcase also is based on 3D Vision which causes the suitcase to see its owner and recognize him/her in the crowd, based on the owner’s skeleton and mood.”

According to him, recognition of user by suitcase is done by a combination of these two methods: the 3D Vision and a cellphone application which lets the suitcase follow its owner on its own.

He also noted about digital features of the smart suitcase: “These features include a specific software in the format of cellphone application through which the suitcase could be digitally locked.

Olive suitcase is equipped with NFC technology which eliminates the need for the key to unlocking it. On the other side, this application can also identify the location of the suitcase in the cargo area or the other parts of airport and street.

Having pointed to the loss of nearly 20 million suitcases in the world annually, he added: “The capability of the robot causes the owner of the suitcase to be aware of its location.”

He considered resolving the overload problem at airports as the other feature of the intelligent suitcase and continued: “The overload problem has been solved by the application of this robot as follows; the allowed load for each luggage is 24 Kg, as the application shows the luggage weight details on the cellphone’s screen, user would be able to take out the additional objects.”

He expressed about the former technologies in the world similar to this suitcase: “Moreover, some other smart suitcases have been presented before most of which were automotive. But, Olive is the only fully intelligent suitcase all over the world that contains the combination of these capabilities.”

Anbari stated about this company’s former activities: “We were working on industrial robots and have designed robots for oil, gas, water and wastewater industries which are being used by now. Having presented Olive, we have entered the realm of service robots. We have started working on robots serving since autumn 2015, which are utilizable in daily life. We are to add a new robot to the robots’ world that facilitates life for human being.”

He stated about the STARTUP WORLD, which is part of the AUTOMATICA 2016 trade fair in Munich: “This contest is held under the supervision of the space agencies of the world and those of Europe Union. 50 referees including the CEOs of the world’s large technology companies attended this competition. Startup contests look for transformational products. We were to add a new option to the service robots’ world that travel robots enter the life of human beings, as a new gadget.”

Anbari considered the creation of Olive Robotic Intelligent Suitcase as a prototype and for international patent registration and expressed his hope that this technology will be presented at China International Technology Fair.

The research team is making the final sample for attracting investors by now whereas there is no substrate required for the development of this technology in the country. However, the researchers hope to attend international markets by the development of this technology.”

The research team offered inspection robots in the fields of oil, gas, water, and wastewater, which have had a limited market in the country. The researchers are trying to localize the Olive robot to become usable for public.

Anbari also announced that foreign universities offered to continue working in Europe and stated: “Despite these offers, we prefer to produce the robot in Iran, then export to the European countries.”

It is worth to be mentioned that the world’s first smart suitcase which has been designed by Hamid Anbari, Mohsen Bani Jamali, Mojtaba Karimi and Edwin Babayans won the first prize of the Service Robotics category of STARTUP WORLD Award, part of the AUTOMATICA 2016 trade fair in Munich.
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