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It’s could be the most annoying thing about travelling, but researchers have discovered a way to stop your wheelie suitcase from toppling over.
Publishing their findings in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A, researchers from Paris Diderot University said the answer is surprisingly simple.
If your suitcase starts wobbling while you are walking through the airport, the best way to prevent it from tipping over is to walk faster.
“If it’s not wobbling, it’s better to walk slower, but if it starts then it’s bad to slow down,” Sylvain Courrech du Pont of Paris Diderot University told New Scientist.
The publication explains: “The team used both theoretical calculations and a tiny model suitcase on a treadmill to examine how luggage goes from peacefully trundling along on two wheels to wobbling back and forth.”
The wobbling occurs from one wheel going over a bump, causing the case to rock from wheel to wheel.
“As you pull it forward, the line of force between your hand and each wheel is diagonal compared to the direction you’re walking, so the suitcase moves to the centre, then overshoots, creating the wobbles.”
Therefore, speeding up causes the case the wobble faster, “meaning that it doesn’t have time to travel far sideways when it tilts up on a single wheel.”
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