It’s so convenient; users only have to shake the umbrella to find out whether they need to carry it or not
Isn’t it annoying that whenever you decide to carry an umbrella with you when you go out, it always ends up not raining? At the other hand, you forget to carry an umbrella just this one time, and you end up walking home drenched from head to toe. Weather forecast apps on our smartphones are supposed to prevent this from happening, but shouldn’t there be a much simpler way to do it? As simple as holding an umbrella, and immediately know whether to carry it or not?
Yes, there is. It is called Opus One, a smart umbrella created by a team of former Samsung engineers. But the highlight here is not the reputation of its creator; the highlight is the product’s convenience, where users do not even need to check their smartphone to know whether they should carry an umbrella –or not.
Opus One works in a very simple way: Hold the handle, shake it for a moment, then the LED will light up in green or red. A blinking red light means rain is about to fall soon, while green means you can leave the umbrella at home.
Opus One is available in two design variants; both are equally attractive. Image Credit: Opus One
Opus One gathers data on weather information from Yahoo! Weather, with user’s smartphone connecting it via Bluetooth. The developer himself does not want to put this feature into waste; if a user accidentally left his Opus One in a cafe, then the user’s smartphone is going to warn him before the Bluetooth connection disappears. The same thing will also happen if the smartphone is the one being left behind.
Practical uses aside, Opus One’s handle –which resembles the infamous “like a sir” meme and is also available in the form of Queen of England’s guardian troop– will also vibrate when there is an incoming phone call, text messaging, or email in the smartphone. Users also do not have to charge them everyday, as Opus One is using four AAA batteries that can last for one year.
The smart umbrella has been marketed in Japan and Korea for US$105, but rumour has it that the developer is considering to market it to other region.
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The article Opus One Adalah Payung Pintar Garapan Mantan Engineer Samsung was written by Glenn Kaonang and was first published on DailySocial. English translation by e27.
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