Umbrella drone to prevent you from getting wet during rainstorm
Technology
Its current form is dependent on a pilot using a remote control
(Web Desk) - At present, drones are mostly used to capture compelling aerial video footage.
But flying robots will soon find their way into our everyday lives, bringing deliveries (with a side of deafening propeller buzz) and maybe even a solution to walking in the rain. At least, they will if a new flying umbrella contraption catches on.
The device was constructed for the I Build Stuff YouTube channel, whose creators believed that the classic umbrella design has gone unchanged for centuries, and doesn't take into account that modern users might want to use a smartphone at all times, even while walking.
Holding an umbrella on a rainy day impedes our ability to check social media or respond to messages at a moment's notice. So why not solve tech problems with other tech problems?
Drones are now capable of incredibly stable and accurate flight and can even maintain a specific altitude using various sensors, similar to how a carried umbrella floats over a user's head.
To take the carrying part out of the equation, I Build Stuff sawed off an umbrella's handle and replaced it with a 3D-printed central hub packed full of electronics like GPS, flight controllers, gyroscopes and batteries.
A set of four arms made from lightweight carbon fiber were attached to the hub to allow a set of electric motors and propellers to extend past the umbrella's canopy.
Trying to position the propellers above or below the umbrella wouldn't work as the canopy would impede the airflow necessary for flight.
After some trial and error, calibration and recalibration, the umbrella drone was able to successfully hover a few inches above someone's head and prevent them from getting wet during a rainstorm.
Unfortunately, its current form is completely dependent on a pilot using a remote control.
In the future, this custom flying umbrella could be upgraded with cameras and other sensors to allow it to follow and stay positioned over a specific user, similar to drones made by companies like Skydio that autonomously track and follow a target.
There are other things we'd like to see with this project, too, starting with it never actually coming to fruition. If the image and sounds of hundreds of drones hovering over pedestrians on a crowded sidewalk on a rainy day wasn't terrifying enough, just imaging the risk of getting hit by the spinning props on someone else's umbrella.
