A bluetooth or otherwise networked height adjustment mechanism on the umbrella that automatically adjusts its height in relationship to others, so that you don't have to think about lowering or raising them as you walk in a crowd of other umbrella bearers.

Working in tandem, you can imagine a throng of people, umbrellas in hand, walking down a rainy streat, all the umbrellas rising and falling in unison like in some Chinese Olympics demonstration, all in automated fashion, and...no one loses an eye.
-- theircompetitor, Oct 29 2008

Height-adjusted umbrellas Height-adjusted_20umbrellas
To make them all the same altitude. [phoenix, Oct 29 2008]

Telescopic Umbrella Telescopic_20Umbrella
To make them all 7' tall. [phoenix, Oct 29 2008]

not even related DocumNets
[normzone, Jun 18 2021]

It would need a very, very complex management system constantly update and to co-ordinate the constantly changing interactions. Easily achieved, until someone drops something, then bends down to pick it up.... all in all a totally halfbaked idea, and attracting this tasty croissant.
-- xenzag, Oct 29 2008


A great image.
-- wagster, Oct 29 2008


Didn't Mary Poppins use the principal of the constantly adjusting umbrella to fly.
-- theGem, Oct 29 2008


But if your umbrella is above others in a packed crowd, then you are still getting wet from other people's run-off.

I hate umbrellas in crowded areas. Their usage in such a situation demonstrates human idiocy and selfishness in all its grotesque glory.
-- Texticle, Oct 30 2008


//then you are still getting wet from other people's run-off//

See, this is where you need an energized mucus which leaps from one umbrella to the next to form waterproof seals on the fly. Flexing playfully, it would flick rivulets towards the nearest un-pedestrianed space.
-- pertinax, Jun 14 2021


//you need an energized mucus// I knew I was lacking something in my life.
-- pocmloc, Jun 14 2021


Rather than up-&-down, perhaps flexing the tips inwards would work better? Both yours & the person's next to you would both bend an equal amount, simply based on distance between centres. Solves the aforementioned "mines high so I get others run-off" problem, & being symmetrical & only local, would be easier to implement from a software point- of-view.
-- neutrinos_shadow, Jun 14 2021



random, halfbakery