Hi-tech umbrella with the lot
Japan's Keio University doctoral student Takashi Matsumoto displays the prototype model of an internet browsing umbrella called "Pileus".
Photo: AFP
Tokyo, Japan (AHN) - Japanese researchers have developed a unique hi-tech umbrella named "Pileus" which is Internet ready, has an integrated digital camera, built-in Wi-Fi plus an attached video projector.
Developed at the Okude laboratory in Tokyo's Keio University, the digitized umbrella can capture both still images and video and can automatically upload them to Flickr and YouTube respectively.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the mechanism can also project previously uploaded images above the user's head on the inside of the umbrella.
For this hi-fi umbrella to work efficiently the user must be within range of a wireless Internet hotspot, so that it can capture the signal before he/she can access the photo- and video-sharing websites.
The umbrella's grip can be twisted to scroll through the Flickr photo sets and YouTube videos.
The prototype of this umbrella was first demonstrated earlier this year at UbiComp 2006, a computing conference held in California.
The umbrella's developers have not made it clear if Pileus will be available to the general public. However, the makers' commercial intentions can be gauged by the fact that they have slapped the "Yahoo buy me!" and "Google buy me!" logos onto the bottom of their website.
Source: All Headline News - Japanese Researchers Develop Hi-Tech Umbrella Equipped With Internet - November 28, 2006
Japan's Keio University doctoral student Takashi Matsumoto displays the prototype model of an internet browsing umbrella called "Pileus".
Photo: AFP
Tokyo, Japan (AHN) - Japanese researchers have developed a unique hi-tech umbrella named "Pileus" which is Internet ready, has an integrated digital camera, built-in Wi-Fi plus an attached video projector.
Developed at the Okude laboratory in Tokyo's Keio University, the digitized umbrella can capture both still images and video and can automatically upload them to Flickr and YouTube respectively.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the mechanism can also project previously uploaded images above the user's head on the inside of the umbrella.
For this hi-fi umbrella to work efficiently the user must be within range of a wireless Internet hotspot, so that it can capture the signal before he/she can access the photo- and video-sharing websites.
The umbrella's grip can be twisted to scroll through the Flickr photo sets and YouTube videos.
The prototype of this umbrella was first demonstrated earlier this year at UbiComp 2006, a computing conference held in California.
The umbrella's developers have not made it clear if Pileus will be available to the general public. However, the makers' commercial intentions can be gauged by the fact that they have slapped the "Yahoo buy me!" and "Google buy me!" logos onto the bottom of their website.
Source: All Headline News - Japanese Researchers Develop Hi-Tech Umbrella Equipped With Internet - November 28, 2006
hyeah: