If you want to know what the future of technology is you'd be wise to look at the news coming out of CES: Las Vegas. The mega-event for the technology world is on all week and will be bursting with product launches and news from both software and hardware providers.
And some of the headlines will be of interest to those in business travel.
1. Self-moving luggage. Forget pulling or pushing it yourself — this case moves next to you. Chinese company ForwardX has developed a carry-on case that uses facial recognition and cameras to recognise who you are and follow you around the airport or hotel. If you aren't in view of the camera it finds you via a wristband, which will be able to alert the owner if the bag is stolen.
2. Autonomous and 'multi-mode' transport. Although travel buyers are not thinking about autonomous vehicles just yet it's pretty exciting to hear what's happening in this area. At CES Toyota announced an automated, battery-electric vehicle that has customisable interiors and can connect to various systems, so it could become anything from a meeting space or restaurant to a hotel room. Amazon, DiDi, Mazda, Pizza Hut and Uber are already signed up as launch partners. Meanwhile Chinese giant Baidu streamed a live parade of autonomous vehicles from its campus and its Apollo platform has been selected as the Chinese government's autonomous vehicle software.
3. A connected payment card. While many may argue that the idea of a plastic card is now a bit old school, Visa, Mastercard and JCB are sticking to tradition. All three have partnered with US firm Dynamics to launch a battery-operated card that looks like a normal debit or credit card, but has a display so that users can access multiple cards and receive coupons and alerts.
4. Smarter homes…and hotel or meeting rooms? More people are getting used to speaking to devices or apps, or controlling things remotely via their phone. Could it mean you can change the hotel room temperature while you're on your way back from a meeting? Or simply ask 'can we have more water?' in a meeting room instead of going out to get someone? There might even be some changes to tracking technology or what we see in offices.
All the above are examples of how the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence is changing not just business travel trips but day-to-day lives. After the Wearable Technology Show back in March I shared how tech entrepreneurs know when something is more than just a fad and I think it's fair to say that Amazon Alexa has taken voice technology into the mainstream.
It won't be long until there is the possibility to track literally anything in terms of data or location. Voice technology could also mean less time looking at a screen. What happens then?