Version A is smaller, slightly lighter, but only retains its charge for 15mins. The latter two both have a battery life of 30 mins, with version C coming with the added bonus of an adjustable handle. I mentioned earlier that the Air Umbrella comes in three models: versions A, B and C. What’s convenient about a product that constantly needs recharging? I was under the impression that the whole point of umbrellas (especially the small fold-up ones) was convenience the ease of being able to quickly grab one from your bag to shelter you from unexpected downpours. So it’s both heavier and more bulky than the current alternatives, maybe this was the reason Mr Wang decided to give his product a relatively short battery life.Īdding insult to injury, the top model only retains enough battery life for 30 mins of rain dodging, and then you face the hassle of having to re-charge the device. The air umbrella is 50cm long, whilst the bestselling folding umbrella on Amazon is only 30cm when you are carrying it around. Perhaps you are thinking that although it’s heavier, it must be smaller in dimension than the best alternative? Who would want to walk around holding something that heavy above their head for any length of time?Ī little research shows that the average umbrella weighs less than half of that. We have a project that attempts to re-engineer the basic umbrella but does so in a way that not only fails to improve on an existing product, but actually adds barriers to the process of sheltering from the rain.Īccording to Air Umbrella’s Kickstarter page, the main model type (there are three, I’ll return to this point shortly!)weighs around 850 grams, which is almost equivalent to the weight of a large bag of sugar. Matched against our Sin list the Air Umbrella ticks the boxes of ‘pushing not pulling’ (Sin number 1) and, perhaps more blatantly, overcomplicating things (Sin number 5). Not only is the device potentially unfit for purpose, it seems likely to create more problems than it would solve. While the Air Umbrella may provide amusement as a whacky idea, it’s viability as a sound innovation is pretty much non-existent. Having already gained over 250 backers on Kickstarter, the project has more than tripled its $10,000 crowdfunding goal and still has over a week to go.īut why? I can only assume that the army of backers is made up of people who enjoy collecting ludicrous curios as ‘conversation pieces’ or people who just have spare cash and too much time on their hands. It sounds like something you would see in a ‘70s kung fu movie, but it pains me to break it to you that the Air Umbrella may soon be coming to a Wilko’s near you. A sort of ‘force field’ to protect you from incoming precipitation attacks: When activated, the ‘umbrella’ blasts a canopy of air which supposedly deflects rain. In essence, the device consists of a rather clumsy looking stick which contains a lithium battery, which in turn powers a fan. And by ‘noise’ I’m not referring to whoops of excitement, -more the collective sound of palms slapping foreheads (from those with a little common sense at least!)Ī turbo toilet plunger? Some kind of beacon? A cost saving Olympic Torch for cash strapped nations? A low budget sceptre for the financially-conscious monarch?Ĭreated by Chinese inventor, Chuan Wang, the Air Umbrella is presented as an ‘invisible umbrella’ that enables you to pitch wind against water in the quest to stay sheltered from the rain. Reading through various tech publications this week, I’ve noticed a certain Kickstarter project seems to be creating a lot of noise.
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