There are few things that look quite as silly as people who are wandering around with umbrellas up 20 minutes after it’s stopped raining, oblivious to the general dryness of the world around them. To avoid looking silly like this in the future, these people can buy an entirely unridiculous umbrella.

This battery powered destupidifier contains a series of small camouflaged pressure sensors in the canopy part of the umbrella, which will measure the amount of pressure being exerted on it, and use this to determine whether or not any rain is falling. The umbrella holder will then be warned of the lack of precipitation by a discreet light contained within the shaft of the umbrella.

This is of course, the exact opposite of The Completely Ridiculous Umbrella, but that is a wholly different idea.
-- hidden truths, Jun 30 2007

A bun for 'destupidifier', which could itself very easily be a fabulous invention. [+]
-- nuclear hobo, Jun 30 2007


Will the 20-minute timer on the alert mechanism be a factory preset, or can the owner of the umbrella set it for an interval of their own choosing?

I'd like to have a resettable delay for the alert mechanism, like the snooze button on my clock radio. That way I can acknowledge the lack of current precipitation, but still exhibit that I am either keeping my umbrella open in order to let it dry off before I collapse it, or I am an evil pedestrian who would like nothing better than to poke someone's eye out.

Mwahahaha! <folds umbrella, dries hands>
-- Canuck, Jul 01 2007


Twenty minutes was just an example of how long it takes some people to notice that it's not raining. In my head the light was meant to go on as soon as the sensors determined a lack of precipitation. Although I see no problem with a time delaying version.

Right after posting this last night, I went out and saw loads of people walking aroung with umbrellas when it wasn't raining. Clearly this invention has come at just the right time.
-- hidden truths, Jul 01 2007


My misses bought The Completely Ridiculous Umbrella yesterday. It was covered in pictures of kittens wearing jumpers.
-- wagster, Jul 01 2007


Only possible 'improvement' I can suggest is to replace the discreet(?!) light with a powerful "snap-shut" mechanism for the umbrella.
-- Jinbish, Jul 01 2007


Yeah, there are a number of sensors that would work much better than a pressure sensor.
-- wagster, Jul 02 2007


...but what about those people who use umbrellas to keep the sun off of them?
-- xandram, Jul 02 2007


They should buy the Completely Ridiculous Umbrella.
-- wagster, Jul 02 2007


Or the Entirely Unridiculous Parasol
-- Jinbish, Jul 02 2007


d'oh, I should have known...
-- xandram, Jul 02 2007


These days, lux cars often have rain-sensor technology for auto-winshield wiping, for the extremely lazy folk who can't be bothered with the switch. I'd use that sensor over a px transducer.
-- RayfordSteele, Jul 02 2007



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