New Alarm Protects, Tracks Your Bag

You can now leave your bag alone without the risk of it being stolen. Researchers from the Industrial Design program at Lund University have created a small, high-tech alarm that protects and keeps track of your bag.

"I was by myself on a beach in Mexico and had to leave my bag unattended to take a swim. But while I was in the water I just couldn't relax, as I was constantly worrying about my things. It was right then and there that I started to think of a possible solution to this problem," Andrew Lentz, one of the new innovation's researchers, said in a news release.

The researchers figured that they can create an alarm that uses Bluetooth technology to identify the proximity of the owner with the use of their smartphone or wearable.

"If your bag is moving and you aren't - indicating that someone else is taking it - the alarm will go off and won't stop until the bag is dropped," Lentz said.

Even if an individual leaves their bag behind, they can use the technology to send push notifications, which determines if their bag is safe. The alarm seems quite similar to a USB stick and it can be placed inside or outside of a bag with the use of a special hook. The researchers figured that that they can create alarms with common bag colors, like silver or black, which would match a zipper. With this simple technique, the alarm would not stand out excessively.

"You can also put the alarm in "do not open" mode using your personal code. If thieves open and ransack your bag without moving it, the alarm will still go off," said Lentz. "We know that thieves are very likely to drop a bag if a high-pitched alarm suddenly goes off."

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