Traveling by suitcase

Tired of lugging your suitcase to airports and hotels? A Chinese inventor has come up with a solution. Drive it.

After more than 10 years of experiments on hundreds of suitcases, 61-year-old inventor He Liangcai finally created a suitcase that can be driven.

The battery-powered multi-functional case can carry two adults and belongings and travel at a speed of 20 km (12.4 miles) per hour, faster than most cyclists.

The suitcase has been reinforced to carry extra weight, with three wheels attached and a handlebar connected. He has a range of drivable pieces of baggage weighing from seven to 10 kg (15.4 to 44 lb) depending on size.

A custom-made lithium battery can power a case for up to three hours.

"The battery is light and small but of high capacity," said He.

A manager at a vehicle repair plant in the 1980s, He decided to turn his hand to inventions and ever since has been on a long journey.

Frustrated by long trips with heavy luggage, He eventually had an epiphany. People shouldn't be carrying suitcases, he thought, it should be the other way around.

He now owns the patent for the multi-functional suitcase. The inventor plans to make improvements at his workshop in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, firstly by making the cases lighter. He then plans to make a suitcase with an electronic motor, GPS and LED lights.

It's unknown whether driving such a vehicle requires a license.