Due to the persistently wet weather in Britain, holding an umbrella over one’s head can often lead to painful arm cramps.
But an inventor and YouTuber may have a solution: a flying umbrella that follows its user in the rain.
The homemade device includes a custom yellow store-bought umbrella and 3D printed components with propellers on the end.
Unfortunately, the user still has to operate the umbrella with a two-handed remote control to ensure it stays above the head, leaving little room to carry your groceries.
However, the inventor now plans to create a better version that can autonomously track and monitor the person underneath.
‘I Build Stuff”s ingenious new device includes a yellow store-bought umbrella and 3D printed components
The new invention is the work of an engineer behind the YouTube channel ‘I Build Stuff’.
“Umbrellas haven’t really changed in 4,000 years… the fundamental design is exactly the same,” he says in the video.
“But it’s 2024 – I shouldn’t even have to hold my umbrella.”
“So today I’m going to make the first umbrella that flies – I mean, what could go wrong?”
As the young engineer notes, other attempts to create a flying umbrella have been made in the past.
But they went wrong largely because the propellers were in the wrong place: attached to the handle or above the canopy, leaving no room for airflow.
That’s why he mounted the propellers for his flying umbrella so that they protruded from the sides of the canopy.
It consists of a central X-shaped frame of four arms made of carbon fiber, which is both strong and light.
Each of the arms has a propeller and a motor at the end, making the device look like a cross between an umbrella and a drone
It consists of a central X-shaped frame of four arms made of carbon fiber, which is both strong and light
Each of the arms has a propeller and a motor at the end, making the device look like a cross between an umbrella and a drone.
Several elements of the device were designed on software platform Onshape before being 3D printed and delivered to his home.
The device took “months” to build and suffered a major setback due to poorly soldered wires, but it was finally ready for a test drive.
He took his flying umbrella outside and initially it worked, but the slightest gust of wind caused it to falter during the second run, the video shows.
“The first flight went surprisingly well, but from then on it just went downhill,” the YouTuber said.
‘On the second flight the umbrella started to drift away and I barely caught up to it in time before it hit the fence.’
On another test run the next day, the flying umbrella started to ‘shake super violently’ before falling to the ground – and that didn’t happen even in rainy weather.
During one of the test runs, the device fell to the ground – and that didn’t even happen during rainy weather
Although he has to control the umbrella to keep it above his head as he moves, he imagines an autonomous machine that can intelligently follow him
Since then, a solution has made the device ‘even more stable than before’ – but whether it actually flies in heavy rain remains to be seriously demonstrated.
“This thing actually protects me from the rain… it wasn’t raining that hard, but I think this thing can withstand much tougher conditions, but probably not stronger winds,” he says.
Although he must control the umbrella to keep it above his head as he moves, the innovator now plans to build a new “autonomous” iteration that can intelligently track it.
“In the future, I might attach a camera to the bottom and write a program that tracks my position and moves my umbrella accordingly,” he adds.
MailOnline has contacted I Build Stuff about how much he spent on the project.