October 16, 2014
First cloth-less Air Umbrella keeps you dry with a force field, bids adieu to drying woes
by Gareth MankooUmbrellas are soon to be truly ‘grandma’ products if these Chinese designers bring this product out among the masses. Called the ‘Air Umbrella’, this ingenious contraption raises the bar for personal protection against unwarranted drenching, a.k.a. rain. How does it manage to do so without a canopy? Well, in all true sci-fi demeanor it conjures up a force-field that repels the water using a cushion of air. All it comprises of is a central cylinder that resembles a water sprinkler. The advantages are plentiful. For starts, you do not have to jostle for drying space, you are saved the many rebukes from innocent folk who you tend to invariably stab in the eye and of course, the terrible turned umbrella embarrassment will never let you down no more. Just make sure that the lithium ion batteries do not wear out.
The Air Umbrella is on Kickstarter with a goal of $10,000. Of course, it has already surpassed the mark. You can pre-order it for $108. It will be available in two versions, a ladies version that is 30cm long, 500g in weight and offers a 15 minute battery life and a men’s version, which will be 50cm long, weigh 800g and last 30 minutes.