Low cost airlines, the internet, super sonic flight... these are the developments that changed travel forever. An electric-powered suitcase? I don't think it will make its mark.

As our desire to pack the kitchen sink has grown, so too has the size of our suitcases. The wheelie bag, once a bastion of airline hostesses and OAP shoppers, has shaken off this kudos to become the travellers' bag of choice, but there's only so much weight you can drag around an airport.

It was inevitable then, that someone would find a way for us to carry even more on holiday.

The Live Luggage Power Assisted Suitcase has a battery and motor to propel it on rough surfaces and hills - the only problem is that this one lacks the sophistication to cope with the terrain met by travellers. The bags weighs nearly 11kg empty and even half full it weighed 23kg, a tally that would have landed me with £96 in excess baggage fees each way if I'd flown with Ryanair.

Steps were the greatest challenge - going up and down them meant carrying the heavy bag - but there's also challenges like loading it into cars/onto beds/off baggage carousels.

It's not the best looking piece of kit either - I got some sniggering comments from a stag party checking in ahead of me about its size and clunkiness - and more than one person likened it to a giant Dyson vacuum cleaner.

The sheer size of the suitcase means getting on and off busy trains or buses means there's bound to be a few unhappy travellers whose toes you've run over - that said, during an airport delay it made a handy table for a game of cards.

It's other attributes - the handle is cleverly designed to make 23kg feel more like 10kg when you're dragging it on smooth surfaces, and the tough outer shell means breakables are safe inside.

That said, give me my standard, human-assisted, wheelie bag any day. Perhaps the next generation case will come with a "baggage butler" who'll carry the case for you... now there's an idea.

Need to know

The suitcase needs charging overnight to operate for up to one mile, although it can still be used with the motor switched off.

Each suitcase is marked with a serial number and if the owner is registered, Live Luggage will text or email them if the suitcase is found and reported lost.

The combination lock is TSA approved which means the lock will not be broken by US authorities if they need to access the case.

Times recommends

• Brits in Bangkok furious at lack of rescue
• Britain's 12 best winter walks
• The insiders' guide to bohemian Paris