Umbrellas are a necessary accessory to save yourself from precipitation. It is not just rain that an umbrella can protect you from. You also get to keep yourself safe from water running off from an elevation, spills from leaking pipes, mild snowfall and also the sun if you live in a hot and humid climate. An umbrella serves many purposes but the primary objective is to not get drenched when it rains.
While you may own an umbrella or have several of them at home, you can now get your hands on an invisible umbrella, the Air Umbrella. The Air Umbrella is a unique tool that protects you from rain but it doesn’t have any fabric or material forming a canopy atop your head. The Air Umbrella simply uses the power of air and circulates it atop your head with great gusto to keep water off.
The Air Umbrella looks like the stick of a conventional umbrella. It is sleek, small and just as portable as a normal umbrella. It has one set of vents to allow intake of air and another set of vents where air is gushed out using the mechanism of a motor. The motor rotates at high speed creating a canopy of sorts, but comprising of air. When air is forced out, it has the power to thwart of incoming objects, in this case rain or water.
There are two models of Air Umbrella currently in development. One is the basic style that is 50 centimeters long and weighs 800 grams. This basic Air Umbrella has a battery life of about 30 minutes. The scalable Air Umbrella which is the other variant is 80 centimeters long when it is extended but it can be shortened back to 50 centimeters like the basic model. The weight of the scalable model is 850 grams and its battery life is also about 30 minutes. The scalable umbrella works well for tall people or those who want a canopy of forced out air at a higher elevation.
Air Umbrella is certainly a great concept but it is yet to be tested in torrential downpour that puts its efficacy into doubt. At least, there is lack of certainty if it would work effectively when there is a thunderstorm or heavy rain. Also, what’s a user supposed to do after 30 minutes when the battery runs out? That remains to be a question, unanswered.
