I like the idea of a luggage scale, particularly when airlines are charging ridiculous fees for overweight baggage. But I usually only have an issue with heavy luggage when I’m returning home from a trip, and carrying along an electronic scale just adds to the problem. Not so with the Gravity Ruler. It’s made from bungee cord running through a clear plastic tube (so it’s lightweight) that’s labeled with weight increments, and the heavier your bag is, the farther the bungee stretches, giving you a rough idea if you’ll squeak below your airline’s weight limits.

What’s even cooler about the Gravity Ruler is that it was created by Politecnico di Milano design students Marcella Maltese and Lin Wei. And while you might think it’s just a concept, apparently they created an initial batch of 35 units which sold out at the Travel Trading fair in Milan in less than an hour. So it seems like there’s a very good chance you might find these in stores one day, if and when they can find a manufacturer.

[ Core77 - "Gravity ruler" luggage scales ] VIA [ SlashGear ]