“We designed the umbrella so that its head moves freely depending on the wind direction,” said Professor Jung Yeon-woo, who led the team. “And because of its convenience, we believe that it will be particularly useful for children and the elderly.” (image: UNIST)
ULSAN, July 6 (Korea Bizwire) – Walking through a rain storm is not a pleasant experience. Not only do you need to hold tight to the safe haven that is your umbrella, you also need to continuously adjust how you hold it to maximize protection against changing winds that gust from all directions.
With this nuisance in mind, researchers at UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) came up with the perfection solution. The institute revealed its ‘Tilting Umbrella’ Monday, an innovative product which was recognized as a ‘Design Concept Finalist’ at the 2016 Spark International Design Awards on June 30 in San Francisco.
The head of the Tilting Umbrella automatically adjusts itself according to the direction of the wind. The theory is relatively simple, said the team. For instance, when the wind comes from the right, the amount of rain that makes contact with the canopy is more focused towards the right, and the umbrella tilts accordingly. Near the handle is a joystick-like control that allows users to manually adjust the direction of the umbrella’s tilt and lock it in place.
(image: UNIST)
“We designed the umbrella so that its head moves freely depending on the wind direction,” said Professor Jung Yeon-woo, who led the team. “And because of its convenience, we believe that it will be particularly useful for children and the elderly.”
Apart from the umbrella, the team also presented ‘Sea-Cat’, a leisure boat the size of a car that has a propeller installed at its bow instead of the conventional location, the stern. This placement eliminates the risk of the propeller getting caught in or on different kinds of underwater refuse or rocks. The boat’s size also makes it easy to park in regular parking areas, and it can easily be towed as it has pre-installed wheels. The Sea-Cat was also selected as a Design Concept Finalist at the awards.
“You can think of it as a means of transportation that runs on water using wind-force, just like an airplane,” said an official. (image: UNIST)
“You can think of it as a means of transportation that runs on water using wind-force, just like an airplane,” said an official.
The Spark International Design Awards is a prestigious international design competition in the same vein as IDEA, Red Dot, and iF.
By Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
