Skip to main content

Smart gym bag promises to clean itself and everything inside it

Introducing Paqsule - The Smart, Self-Cleaning Bag
Virtually everyone has had the experience of opening their gym bag to be greeted by a malodorous gust of sweaty workout clothes and smelly sneakers.

The folks behind new Kickstarter Paqsule think they’ve come up with a crowd-pleasing solution — and, no, it’s not ditching exercise to stay at home.

“Paqsule is a bag that cleans itself and anything you put inside it,” co-creator Ravid Yosef told Digital Trends. “Using UV-c and O3 (read: ozone) technology, it sanitizes, deodorizes and kills bacteria with the touch of a button to keep your bag and everything inside smelling fresh.”

A chemical-free, FDA approved process, Yosef says that everything that occurs inside the Paqsule gym bag occurs naturally. It works by first trapping bacteria inside. The owner can then activate the unit, which causes ozone to fill the bag, killing odor and bacteria on contact. UV-C light acts as an additional layer, sterilizing against viruses and pathogens. Each cycle takes 35 minutes to complete, after which the ozone converts back to oxygen, leaving the bag and its contents smelling fresh.

Thanks to an iOS and Android app you can even control the bag’s technology from a distance, and get an alert when the fresh cycle is complete. In essence, it’s the same principle that causes air to smell the way it does after a rainstorm — only with an added dose of tech thrown in for good measure.

The bag itself is stylish, and boasts a range of other smart features.

“We really wanted Paqsule to be the only duffel bag you would ever need,” Yosef continued. “Rather than having multiple bags for different uses, our cleaning system allows you to use one bag to crossover from the gym to work to travel. We also have a USB charging station and over twenty premium features with lots of pockets to help organize just about anything.”

You can currently pre-order Paqsule on Kickstarter, with prices starting at $229. Shipping is set to take place this summer. Let’s hope the concept is still “fresh” by then.

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
The best portable power stations
EcoFlow DELTA 2 on table at campsite for quick charging.

Affordable and efficient portable power is a necessity these days, keeping our electronic devices operational while on the go. But there are literally dozens of options to choose from, making it abundantly difficult to decide which mobile charging solution is best for you. We've sorted through countless portable power options and came up with six of the best portable power stations to keep your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets functioning while living off the grid.
The best overall: Jackery Explorer 1000

Jackery has been a mainstay in the portable power market for several years, and today, the company continues to set the standard. With three AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C plugs, you'll have plenty of options for keeping your gadgets charged.

Read more
CES 2023: HD Hyundai’s Avikus is an A.I. for autonomous boat and marine navigation
Demonstration of NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

This content was produced in partnership with HD Hyundai.
Autonomous vehicle navigation technology is certainly nothing new and has been in the works for the better part of a decade at this point. But one of the most common forms we see and hear about is the type used to control steering in road-based vehicles. That's not the only place where technology can make a huge difference. Autonomous driving systems can offer incredible benefits to boats and marine vehicles, too, which is precisely why HD Hyundai has unveiled its Avikus AI technology -- for marine and watercraft vehicles.

More recently, HD Hyundai participated in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, to demo its NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system for recreational boats. The name mashes together the words "neuron" and "boat" and is quite fitting since the Avikus' A.I. navigation tech is a core component of the solution, it will handle self-recognition, real-time decisions, and controls when on the water. Of course, there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes with HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation solution, which we'll dive into below -- HD Hyundai will also be introducing more about the tech at CES 2023.

Read more
This AI cloned my voice using just three minutes of audio
acapela group voice cloning ad

There's a scene in Mission Impossible 3 that you might recall. In it, our hero Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) tackles the movie's villain, holds him at gunpoint, and forces him to read a bizarre series of sentences aloud.

"The pleasure of Busby's company is what I most enjoy," he reluctantly reads. "He put a tack on Miss Yancy's chair, and she called him a horrible boy. At the end of the month, he was flinging two kittens across the width of the room ..."

Read more