An Umbrella That Protects You From Rain With Just Air, But Only Lasts 30 Minutes

The umbrella market is ripe for innovation, and regular ones just don’t cut it anymore. So oneKickstarter project wants to bring you an umbrella powered by air.

The aptly-named Air Umbrella is a rod-shaped device with a motor, rechargeable lithium battery and fan blade. The device takes in air below the fan blade and forces it out in such a manner that falling rain gets redirected.

Model A, which the company says is marketed toward females, is about 12 inches long and has 15 minutes of battery life. Model B is about 20 inches long and has 30 minutes of battery life. Model C is extendable; its length ranges from about 20 inches to 32 inches, also with 30 minutes of battery life.

This Kickstarter project isn’t the first example of an air-powered umbrella. Several other concepts have materialized in the past.

However, the Air Umbrella may be the first to be sold on the market. Funding for the project closes on Oct. 24; preorders start at $118, and begin shipping before December 2015, according to the Kickstarter page.

While the Air Umbrella sounds impressive in theory, we’ll need to try it out for ourselves before we ditch our trusty old-fashioned one.