Folk who are employed to pick up litter frequently use a device in the form of a shaft with a claw at one end, and an operating lever at the other.

As someone who often carries a long shafted, golfing type umbrella, I want this to be equally equipped, so that if I see something small and interesting that I want to collect, I don't have to bend down and grovel on the street.

The "claw" in this case would be a replica of either a parrot's beak, or for the more dexterous and adept user, a dual set of crab pincers could be deployed and individually manipulated.

It's obviously only useful when it's not raining, otherwise the device can be randomly activated while it waves about in the air to startle and amuse other pedestrians, as it snatches at the falling rain.
-- xenzag, Nov 08 2009

If you re-imagined the parrot's beak as an octopus', then it could have tentacles, too.
-- pertinax, Nov 08 2009


(+) A pickpockets dream though.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 09 2009


I think snatching at the rain would be the best part! I also like the octopus idea. Especially if the tentacles flop together to pick things up! Imagine walking down the street in the rain and seeing an octopus flailing on top of the umbrella of the person in front of you.
-- Joolin, Nov 09 2009


[2fries], I think picking pockets is a more sophisticated game than that (searching now)...
-- normzone, Nov 09 2009


I think there should be an archimedes' screw inside the handle, to transfer the shiny object from the parrot throat, up into the user's hand.
-- pocmloc, Nov 09 2009


May as well throw in a gizzard, and storage stomach.
-- xenzag, Nov 10 2009


And a little puckered sealed hole, out of which the object is deposited into your hand.
-- pocmloc, Nov 10 2009



random, halfbakery