Baggage-tracking app developed in Dundee

We've all experienced the disappointment that comes with delayed or lost baggage while on holiday, but one Scottish business is attempting to banish those experiences for good.

The Dundee-developed app aims to ensure that travellers know at all times where their baggage is. Image: istockphoto

Dundee tech start-up CarryCado has developed a luggage tag that uses Low Power Bluetooth to communicate in real-time with a tailor-made smartphone app.

The slim 52mm-long tag will attach to the user’s luggage, with the team having been out on the streets of Dundee to optimise both the range and battery consumption of the product.

With both the physical product and app software having been developed, the team are currently looking for £95,000 worth of investment on popular crowdfunding website Indiegogo.

The beta version of CarryCado is available via Android and iOS now. Image: istockphoto

Founder of CarryCado Iain McLean, who has previously developed over 150 apps for celebrities and users including singer Chris Brown and socialite Paris Hilton, said: “We have been going at this project for around two years now.

“We have done all the tech work - the product works and does what it should do. The money being asked for is for the tooling costs and to get the product to market - for example, the silicon rubber plastic enclosure is being built for us, and we’re teaming up with Amazon to sell the product.”

“There are lots of other devices that help you track your car, bag or even a loved one, but we’re focusing on quality. The big difference is that our product has both range and power.”

The beta version of CarryCado is available via Android and iOS now. Image: istockphoto

The app is free to download, while the baggage tag will be priced at around £25 per person should enough funding be received to put it into production.

In addition, the team are currently in discussions with airports across the United Kingdom to try and get the CarryCado installed - with the goal of allowing users to track the whereabouts of their baggage at all stages of their journey.

Due to recent changes in European air safety legislation, the product will also be fully-compliant with European Air Safety Agency, Civil Aviation Authority and Federal Aviation Administration legalities regarding the use of communicating devices while on board aircraft.

If the team’s funding is secured, McLean hopes that the product will be ready to go to market by June of this year - just in time for those who may be taking a summer holiday.

The international team behind CarryCado includes Lead Developer Nick Hammond, Platform Developer Jose Morlesin, Android Developer Bartosz Arendarski and iOS Developer Zhivko Bogdanov among others.

McLean added: “We called it CarryCado because the location icon looked a little like an avocado, so it’s a mix of the two terms.”

Scottish heritage: for stories on Scotland’s people, places and past >>