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Invisible Umbrella Would Use Air to Keep You Dry

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posted on Oct, 16 2014 @ 08:52 AM
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Camr across this interesting article today about the new "Air Umbrella" coming soon. This product is still in its R&D phase so we probably won't see it for a whille but I thought I would share it here now.




Shelter from the rain just got high-tech and invisible. A research and development team from China has come up with a battery-operated Air Umbrella, which creates a shield against rainfall via a jet airflow.

The gadget may seem like something out of a James Bond movie, and though it's still in the R&D stages, it is gaining popularity on Kickstarter. The Air Umbrella has surpassed its $10,000 Kickstarter fundraising goal with over $33,000 in support from over 275 backers.

Two models run on a 30-minute battery life -- not ideal for long commutes in a downpour, but the creators say they are working on improving that. The very visible (and bulky) base resembles a flashlight. Several versions provide options for a range of consumers.

The "b" or basic umbrella is about 20 inches long and weighs over a pound and a half, while the women's "a" version is smaller, at about a foot long and just over a pound, with only a 15 minute battery life. The scalable "c" product, which can be shortened from 31 inches to about 20 inches, is slightly heavier at 1.87 pounds.


No conspiracy here...Just think this is kinda neat. What does ATS have to say?

www.cbsnews.com...



posted on Oct, 16 2014 @ 08:56 AM
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a reply to: lostbook

So it's like a hand dryer in a restroom turned up?
Seems like a waste of power and plastic.



posted on Oct, 16 2014 @ 08:59 AM
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So those rain droplets it is blowing away forcefully go where ?
Right in someone else's face ?

edit on 16/10/2014 by Jeroenske because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 16 2014 @ 09:01 AM
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I see these kinda like the Dyson blade less fans.
Basically a gimmick for folks with more money than brains. I mean seriously, $300 for a 10 inch desk top fan? Thanks, but I'll go to the Dollar Store and spend $30 for a full size. Not knocking your OP, I like gadgets, love'em in fact, just can't see paying big bucks for such simple stuff.
edit on 16-10-2014 by DAVID64 because: correction



posted on Oct, 16 2014 @ 09:08 AM
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LOL....so this is like to old saying of solving a problem there was never a question for? Is it that hard to carry a regular umbrella? Seems like a silly idea, but hey,,,,,they are getting funded for it.



posted on Oct, 16 2014 @ 09:18 AM
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i read about this yesterday, and from the article i read, you can get one with a donation of around 100usd.
the price will go up once/if this idea kicks off i guess.
My opinion? i frankly think it's a cool concept, and i love gadgets, so i am really tempted to give them the 100 dollars, at the end of the day, i've spent 100 bucks on far dumber stuff, so why not.
The only concerns i have are two: if this thing pushes water away from you...that means it will land on other people passing by? and the 30 minute battery life. not sure it would always be enough.
Oh and it snows a lot in my area, so who knows how it will deal with that.
but, since i've dished out close to 100 dollars for certain videogames, i can do it for innovation...or at least an attempt at it.



posted on Oct, 16 2014 @ 09:27 AM
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I dunno...seems like a strong wind would blow the airstream around and make it not very effective. Besides, I don't think I would want to carry around a 1 to 2 pound device.

I have an umbrella that folds into itself, so it's about 10 inches long and weighs just a few ounces. I got it at Goodwill for a buck.

Nah. Interesting idea but I don't think this one will catch on.



posted on Oct, 16 2014 @ 09:38 AM
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This has got to be a scam.

Somehow the air around the person would need to be dehumidified.

Sure it can be done in a permanent installation, but there is no way this could be a handheld device.

All it can do is divert raindrops from contacting your head, but in the low pressure area beneath the moving air, a vaccuum would pull moisture in and disperse over the rest of ones body.
edit on -05:00041410392014-10-16T09:39:04-05:00 by Psynic because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 16 2014 @ 10:16 AM
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I have an umbrella.

I never had it fail me due to a dead battery.



posted on Oct, 16 2014 @ 11:55 AM
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This is technology just for the sake of technology.

Its not an improvement on a normal umbrella , its a total waste of time.



posted on Oct, 17 2014 @ 12:57 AM
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a reply to: lostbook
Just something else to end up in landfills. More battery use, one or more fans and motors, if your battery dies you have no cover at all, no lighter weight than a decent real umbrella I imagine. Gotta be noisy to some extent at least. An answer to an unspoken question. Fail



posted on Oct, 17 2014 @ 02:55 AM
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This is like the "invisible" bike helmet- its not invisible. I didnt expect it to be invisible but I did not expect it to have to be held but I guess I'm not sure what I expected... But I still think its kinda cool but I'm wondering how much noise it will make and it needs a longer battery life.

Yeah it will blow raindrops around you to other people but they will be getting wet anyways if they are not using an umbrella. If this is powerful enough then it will not get the next person wet if they are using an umbrella of their own, but I wonder what the effect will be if a big crowd of people are using these.

And besides, a regular umbrella does not magically "disappear" the rain either. It diverts it away from you, kinda like this thing does. If someone is standing at the edge of a regular umbrella the water will run down the side of the umbrella onto the next person.

Thank you for sharing this with us, OP. Whether I will own one or not, I am still interested to know about it!



posted on Oct, 17 2014 @ 04:03 AM
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Leave it to the Chinese to invent a power guzzling device in the name of novelty.



posted on Oct, 18 2014 @ 03:48 AM
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I think there are two or three cars in production (albeit small numbers as they're exotic cars) that use this airstream tech in lieu of windshield wipers. Given it's overall description (size, weight, battery life), the automotive application seems more reasonable than an umbrella replacing gadget.




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