Getting to that distant airport gate has never looked like more fun. Modobag is your chance to squeeze a bit more fun out of life, just when you thought the fun was gone.
(Hi ho Modobag! Away!)
An American entrepreneur has come up with the “Modobag” – a piece of carry-on which is designed to convey grown-ups through busy airports with the minimum possible effort.
On the down-side (when compared to ridealong bags for junior travellers), the Modobag does not look like a creature from the African savannah or a medieval fairytale. On the plus side, it does come with a motor, a steering pole and brakes – meaning you can drive it all the way to your flight’s last call without working up a sweat or a shortness of breath.
The Modobag can even reach speeds three times faster than walking – an indoor setting of 5mph; an outdoor setting of 8mph – making missed connections a thing of the past.
Although I admit that the Modobag is not a perfect match, I am still reminded of Robert Heinein's 1940 classic The Roads Must Roll and the wonderful tumblebug:
Gaines and Harvey mounted tumblebugs, and kept abreast of the Cadet Captain, some twenty-five yards behind the leading wave. It had been a long time since the Chief Engineer had ridden one of these silly-looking little vehicles, and he felt awkward. A tumblebug does not give a man dignity, since it is about the size and shape of a kitchen stool, gyro-stabilized on a single wheel.
(Read more about Robert Heinlein's Tumblebug.)
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Poul Anderson's 'Brain Wave'
"Everybody and his dog, it seemed, wanted to live out in the country; transportation and communication were no longer isolating factors."