Kor37 9 Posted May 18, 2007 The Internet UmbrellaPosted May 17th 2007 5:02PM by Terrence O'Brien Filed under: Audio/Video, Cell Phones, Cameras, Computers, YouTube It's raining, it's pouring the old man is . . . surfing the Internet? If he's an old Japanese man, then it's entirely possible. Conceived in the research labs at Japan's Keio University, the prototype Pileus Internet Umbrella is, as it sounds, an umbrella that's connected to the Web. The umbrella's shaft houses a tiny projector that beams Internet content to the canopy's underside via its Wi-Fi/HSDPA connection. Rain dodgers can watch YouTube vids, view Flickr streams or even upload their own Flickr photos with the built-in camera. A GPS receiver and digital compass interact with Google Earth to provide a real-time, birds-eye map view of whatever street the user is walking down. Though at this time, the umbrella is just a prototype, a company has spun out of Keio University to develop the Pileus as a consumer product. That's a great idea assuming there's a customer base out there that likes to spend extended periods of time playing the rain. Unfortunately, Gene Kelly is a goner. I bet The Penguin has one of these......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trekz 7 Posted May 18, 2007 And Steed from the Avenger should have one, too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
