The Air Umbrella is a simple electronic device that takes in air from the bottom of the controller, and shoots it out at the top to create a ‘curtain’ of air that can repel raindrops.
Not only would these features protect against storms when a standard umbrella normally may not, but the air curtain has a better chance to survive strong winds than a flimsy nylon covering. Removing the canopy also dispenses with minutes shaking all of the water off before you bring it inside. Though still a concept and assuming the wind curtain is actually strong enough, the design has one pretty significant flaw — battery life. If a storm is particularly strong, the highest power output and widest curtain could conceivably drain the battery quickly, while a longer trek through the rain would significantly drain the battery as well. What happens when you trek through the rain , use a significant portion of the battery, then it’s still raining on the way home?
Designers: Je Sung Park & Woo Jung Kwon
The project was cancelled in 2014. There is no product.