This is kind of cool -- electronic luggage tags (w/ GPS)

[MissMillie]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/11/08/243276046/lost-luggage-airlines-have-got-a-brand-new-electronic-tag


With holiday travel right around the corner, many Americans will have to decide whether to carry on or to check their baggage. Each decision comes with its own hassles.

By 2014, airlines are hoping to make you sweat less when you decide to check your bags. They will introduce an electronic tag system that allows you to track your suitcase's exact location on your smartphone during your travels.

The prototype for View Tag was developed by Richard Warther, now president and CEO of Vanguard ID Systems in West Chester, Pa. He found the airline baggage system frustratingly inefficient.

"The barcode is not a very good barcode," Warther said. &quot The airlines) don't have a big enough numbering scheme. There's many flaws in the system because they didn't know how big it was going to get."

View Tag has radio-frequency identification with near-field communication, like GPS tracking. The tag comes with an electronic display that will show a bag's transit route, which can be updated by an app on the traveler's smartphone.