Have you ever seen a cartoon character with a little raincloud over their head wherever they went? Engineer John Tse of I Build Stuff seems to have invented a solution to this fictional problem that is also an ingenious device for real life: a hands-free, flying umbrella that can track where you are and follow you, rain or shine.
The young inventor chronicled his entire process, from the frustrating obstacles he faced to the eureka moments he celebrated, in an insightful YouTube video. What started as a two-week project to work on during a school break ended up carrying on for years. Tse’s first iteration of this ambitious gadget relied on a handheld controller, but the project evolved with time. After years of trial and error, his newest version is inspired by suggestions from his viewers: a fully autonomous flying umbrella that could simply follow him around.
The real challenge is building this pipe dream was not the flying part, but the following. Tse tested a few tracking systems, finding a time-of-flight depth camera to be the most reliable, as it can capture and measure distance. A Raspberry Pi processes the data on depth to asses where the user’s head is. In turn, it provides information to the flight controller, which sends signals to the umbrella to move with the person while remaining centered.
The flying umbrella is built on a drone featuring a custom internal frame with folding arms, which is about the size of a tripod when it’s not flying. Meanwhile, the central hub is attached to an umbrella, and it is an actual regular umbrella that has been cut from its handle so it can be attached to the structure. And it does a great job at concealing the intricate structure underneath it.
While Tse says that his invention is far from perfect, the final demonstration shows it successfully withstanding heavy rain. It truly looks like something that will be commonplace in the bot-too-distant future, and people will look back at his pioneering efforts in due time. “Over the last year, I’ve learned that you can’t let perfectionism stop you from finishing,” Tse shared. “Sometimes it’s not about making something perfect. It’s about making it real.”
To stay up with Tse’s engineering and filmmaking endeavors, make sure to follow I Build Stuff on YouTube.
I Build Stuff: YouTube | TikTok
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