The suitcase you don’t have to carry

London - It isn’t clear how it might react if you are running to catch a flight, but a young inventor has come up with a “robotic” suitcase that requires no carrying.

A video on YouTube has revealed a prototype of the “Hop!” suitcase, which uses the bluetooth signal on your smartphone to guide it along behind you.

The clip shows a man walking while the small suitcase dutifully follows, albeit at a slow and occasionally jerky speed.

The basic technology behind the novelty is the work of Spanish native Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez.

The phone signal is received by three sensors in the luggage, a microprocessor driving two caterpillar tracks that power the suitcase along.

If the signal is lost, the bag will lock itself and vibrate its owner’s phone.

Gonzalez’s design was one of the winners of Spain’s James Dyson Award this year and, he admits, needs some fine tuning.

He is now studying a Master’s in Innovation, Design and Engineering in London and hopes to gather a team to work on the project and find funding.

The 28-year-old said: “It’s not working 100 per cent and it’s not ready for the market, but it’s something I’d like to develop.

“I think in the future it’s something we could see often.”