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The Internet Umbrella

by Terrence O'Brien on May 17, 2007 at 05:02 PM

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.

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From OhGizmo!

Tags: flickr, gadget, google earth, GoogleEarth, gps, toy, umbrella, wireless

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