What if you had the choice of going for an umbrella that collects data on air pollution while you are out for a stroll or walking to work? The Sensing Umbrella from Arduino, has been created by the Copenhagen Institute. A group of talented designers namely Akarsh Sanghi, Simon Herzog and Saurabh Datta in collaboration with Giorgio Olivero, of ToDo design Italy have created this invention.
They took the help of Massimo Banzi, who is the co founder of Arduino when it came to installing a micro controller in the umbrella. This final design is capable of measuring the levels of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide pollution levels in the air.
Not only does the umbrella collect data, but it is also capable of visualizing it in real time by a LED display of lights. These lights have been installed on the surface of the umbrella. Your umbrella actually changes color and the lights dance in a rhythm like sequence in correspondence to the levels of pollution.
The data then gets uploaded on a cloud especially allocated for databases related to pollution. Imagine the scenario where umbrellas at various locations in the city provide the actual state of affairs, there and then. The information collected is available for further research on a virtual platform.
It is definitely an exclusive tech wearable that will achieve social good and not just improve individual lives. The aim of the designers was to create a tool that aims at over all welfare of the society as a whole. The physical and mental well beings form a major component of this endeavor. Designers of this super sensing umbrella have no plans of making money out of this project. They just hope that this concept of crowd sourcing is used for the betterment of all individuals. Hence, the idea is an open software source, where other likeminded designers can leverage this concept and share their database too.
It might not be a magical umbrella, but it sure is determined to uplift the health and mental well being of all on this planet.
Source: Arduino
Bon vivant, writer extraordinaire.
