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Saturday, 24 October 2009 
A combination of strong winds and rainstorms are exactly when you need your umbrella the most, yet it is under these very conditions that they often let us down – turning inside-out and breaking. Solving this longstanding problem comes the Wind Defying Umbrella, which is able to resist wind speeds as extreme as 35mph – getting you to your destination drier and tidier. Friday, 29 May 2009
It’s no fun being in a crowd when it’s raining. If you use an umbrella, you’ve got to maneuver it around other people and if you brave the rain, you could lose an eye to the careless masses. This gadget, called the Polite Umbrella aims to solve this problem for all concerned by folding in on itself slightly upon a tug of the handle. Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Designer Shiu Yuk Yuen has developed an ultra-compact umbrella that will easily fit in a trouser pocket, but for this convenience you must get your creative juices flowing and improvise your own canopy when it starts to rain. Discarded newspapers, cardboard or plastic bags are ideal. The umbrella is yet another design to take advantage of recycling but is best suited for cities like London where the weather is very unpredictable and free newspapers are readily available. The operation is quite simple as you can see in the photo below. From one end of the tubular casing extends a stick and handle, from the other comes the support structure and a screw-in spike that secures your improvised canopy. It was designed for short distances like the walk from your tube/subway station to your home or office but can also be used for longer distances by using clips at each end of the umbrella to stabilize it further. This design sure would suit people like me who hate lugging bulky things like umbrellas around with them.
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
The Parasolar is an ingenious invention. It looks just like a regular beach umbrella, but the cloth that makes up the canopy is embedded with photovoltaic panels which convert the sunlight into energy. The generated energy is transfered to the handle where you can plug in your favourite gadgets to keep them charged up. The device could prove even more useful perhaps when out camping. As well as charging your gadgets, it has been theorised, that it may be able to provide enough energy to power small lights, heaters or fans. The Parasolar is apparently an improved design of a product created by Isreali, Oded Shorer, for the Greener Gadgets Competition. The charger/battery and energy transformer are stored in the base which helps to give the Parasolar more stability when open. The tubular pole utilises a regular telescopic structure. The energy generation/transformation process is automatically initiated when the parasol is clipped to the base. You can tap into this power source via a 12 volt output and two USB 2.0 sockets. The wide base acts as not only a stabilising stand, but also a convenient, easily transportable storage case for when the canopy is not in use. The Parasolar is only a concept thus far but hopefully we’ll see it in stores soon. Even if people aren’t impressed by its solar capturing abilities, the unique carry case alone could shift units. There are also plans for an enhanced version which would allow businesses such as restaurants and hotels to capture energy during the daytime to provide lighting at night. Sources: Related Articles: | SUBSCRIBE:  Stay up to date! Get Mark's Technology News updates via RSS Or, grab your updates via email. Your email address: Compare Prices with Twenga Top Sections ARCHIVES: RECENT COMMENTS: MTN Is Listed At: | |
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