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View Full Version : Umbrella Wins the Design Award



Calabash
17th October 2014, 08:26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6eyND08tu0

Here is a short video showing the winner of this year's Design Award. The battery only lasts 30 minutes, so it might not catch on in rainy old UK, but regardless of the modern concept I prefer to think the design was inspired by Gandalf's staff.

Published on 14 Oct 2014
The so-called ‘Air Umbrella’ is a project on Kickstarter. The item doesn’t look like a normal umbrella, but instead bears more of a resemblance to a decent-sized microphone.
The design of the umbrella has, for the most part, remained the same for many years. The latest umbrella, however, is dramatically different.
Gone is the large and awkward cloth that protects a person from rain, as that component is replaced with a head that essentially spits out air.
Three main parts make up the device. The controller switch rests at the bottom. In the middle is a lithium battery. On top of that is a bulb of sorts that blows out jetted air.
That’s what prevents rain drops from hitting the user. When the umbrella is powered on, the tip spits out air in differing directions, which changes the landing course of falling droplets.

The airflow speed can be changed via the power switch. The minds behind the project say there will be three different options for the ‘Air Umbrella’ – Version A,B and C.

The differences between them is the length and battery life, which at maximum is 30 minutes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CQpeC2-k-s
But what a difference a year can make. The design above is a rip-off of this poor student's idea

777
17th October 2014, 08:38
There is such beauty in the fact it's inspired by Gandalfs' staff!!

I can forsee neerdowells outside 99p stores attacking each other with these. What a puny pessimism I persist in pushing.

norman
17th October 2014, 10:12
errrr ok..... SO!?

A hundred people are walking in all directions on a very rainy street. Each one of them is holding an air-umbrella. Jeeze, imagine the mess of all that rain being blasted sideways in all directions at once.

I think there will be a lot of wet people.

Even if only one person is holding the air-umbrella, the other people will get a sideways blast of rain.

Sounds like another daft gimmicky stunt to me. Bet K-Tel take it up and sell millions that will only get used once.

Sooz
17th October 2014, 10:20
I love kick-starter projects! I send all sorts of stuff to my son who when he was a toddler, informed me he wanted to be an inventor.

Regarding the brolly, I'd love to see it work when an Oz Southerly Buster swings into town, lol. Might work with light rain in old London town, but doubt it would work here.

Good idea though!

Ria
17th October 2014, 12:05
LOL you guys make me laugh, it's b....dy ridiculous. Thanks Calabash:hilarious:

Calabash
17th October 2014, 14:29
lol - just a bit of fun Ria. Here's a link to some more fun umbrellas. I like the one with the sky inside . . .

http://www.funcage.com/blog/30-weird-and-cool-umbrellas/
http://honestinfomercialreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/shoe_umbrella.jpg http://m5.paperblog.com/i/57/577859/weird-looking-hands-free-umbrella-hoping-to-k-L-25ecc2.jpeg

777
17th October 2014, 14:39
Who's been taking pictures of my feet?

:ireful:

Bloomin sickos :belief:

jimmer
17th October 2014, 15:01
it all comes down to battery technology.

for instance, battery fueled cars are a boondoggle until the
next breakthrough in sustainable portable energy is discovered.
(the next economic gold rush)
until then, we must wait.

Frances
17th October 2014, 19:03
Imagine in the future, all the shops have these air blasters on the front of their shop fronts. You could walk down the high street keeping bone dry, and it's raining only on the road. Ha ha.
Frances.

Ria
17th October 2014, 19:27
http://www.funcage.com/blog/30-weird-and-cool-umbrellas/
http://honestinfomercialreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/shoe_umbrella.jpg http://m5.paperblog.com/i/57/577859/weird-looking-hands-free-umbrella-hoping-to-k-L-25ecc2.jpeg
The second one down was nicked of a children's push chair.