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Drexel gives freshman ‘smart’ backpacks

October 2, 2017

Incoming freshmen received a “Welcome Week” treat during move-in weekend — a smart backpack that hasn’t hit the shelves yet.

About 2,500 of these backpack were given away to new students at the Daskalakis Athletic Center Sept. 16-17.

While these backpacks look like common vessels used to transport books, laptops and papers from class to class, they are unique. A coding system is woven into the plaid stripes on the backpacks and when scanned by a smartphone, the owner’s information is displayed by an app. The owner can choose to share their social media links, or even their favorite song.