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Naucrates, the Smart Luggage That You Can Ride Like a Scooter: A Cautionary Tale

Crowdfunding is a great way to invest in a startup that thinks outside the box, and to be among the first to enjoy the perks of a new product that you helped bring to the market through your investment.
Self-follow, ride-on Naucrates smart luggage 8 photos
Photo: IndieGoGo.com
Self-follow, ride-on Naucrates smart luggageSelf-follow, ride-on Naucrates smart luggageSelf-follow, ride-on Naucrates smart luggageSelf-follow, ride-on Naucrates smart luggageSelf-follow, ride-on Naucrates smart luggageSelf-follow, ride-on Naucrates smart luggageSelf-follow, ride-on Naucrates smart luggage
But there is a downside to crowdfunding and that’s the lack of guarantees that you will actually get the product you’ve paid for. This seems to be one of those cases: a product that uses the latest in technology to deliver a travel essential (a carry-on hardshell) that can follow you around the airport and that you can ride pretty much like a scooter. Because, apparently, the world’s too lazy to pull a wheeled suitcase on the floor or to actually walk.

Naucrates is one of last year’s most splashing campaigns on IndieGoGo. It’s a smart hardshell with 3 operating modes: traditional (like a standard suitcase, and no one wants that), self-follow and ride-on. It promises to be TSA-compliant, in it for the long run, durable, and spacious on the inside, which is a basic condition for any piece of luggage, if you think about it.

Since Naucrates does pretty much everything for you but cook and do laundry, it’s not cheap. Pledgers on the crowdfunding site ended up paying between $399 and $499 for it, which was a steal to the final advertised price of $899.

It was also a steal considering the touted features of this stylish and ever-so-capable piece of luggage. Lightweight (it weighs just over one pound when empty) but extremely durable, since it’s made from the best German materials available, it comes with fingerprint lock and a TSA-compliant lock. The battery is removable for easy charging and can double as a power bank. Even when inside the case, the battery can be used to charge other devices, thanks to an included three-in-one cable.

Self\-follow, ride\-on Naucrates smart luggage
Photo: IndieGoGo.com
Naucrates comes with a white plastic remote (aka the joystick), which is used both in self-follow and ride-on modes. For the latter, retractable pegs pop out of the sides of the suitcase and, silly as it may sound, you just jump on it and have it ferry you around the airport.

The makers promise a range of 6.2 miles in self-follow mode and of 4.3 miles in ride-on mode. For the latter, supported weight is of almost 265 pounds and maximum speed of 4.3 mph. This definitely beats walking at a brisk pace, especially since Naucrates also comes with obstacle-avoidance tech that will prevent you from smashing into other people, walls or other obstacles you might come across an airport terminal.

Because it’s so smart, Naucrates connects with an app, which allows you to control it on your phone in ride-on mode and alerts you when you leave it behind by accident.

All in all, Naucrates sounds like the little carry-on that could. Apparently designed with the frequent traveler in mind, the kind who wouldn’t mind getting a few looks for riding a suitcase because walking is so yesterday, it’s the perfect combo of functionality and innovation.

Unless it’s not, of course.

After riding the wave at the end of last year, and getting positive reviews on the couple prototypes they sent out, the makers have cut off all communication with pledgers. Atrvz is listed as the maker of Naucrates, with IndieGoGo listing San Diego, USA, as headquarters.

However, there is evidence pointing to that Atrvz is actually Chinese trading company Dimensional Ocean, whose only “innovation” consists of reselling items off AliBaba with an extra margin for profit, as this reddit thread reveals. Delivery dates on the Naucrates have been repeatedly pushed back, from November to December, and February.

As of the time of writing, an update claims that some items have shipped to the U.S. and Europe, but tracking numbers don’t correspond to actual shipments. The campaign page is flooded with refund requests and complaints on the lack of communication, and calls to join a class-action lawsuit against Atrvz / Dimensional Ocean.

For its part, the company claims the Chinese New Year celebrations caused some delays, while others were due to production issues common to all crowdfunding projects, where deadlines and delivery dates are mere estimates.

So let this be a cautionary tale: crowdfunding is great, but only after proper research. Also, a suitcase that can carry you from point A to point B because you’re too lazy to walk is a rather silly application of technology to real life.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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