The UK company Vodafone has invented an umbrella they call the Booster Brolly. It is an interesting concept, since you need sun to charge it, but it protects against the rain.
Supposedly meant for summer use at festivals or outdoor shows, the umbrella protects against rain (no surprise there) but also doubles as an on-the-go mobile phone charger and signal enhancer when it in itself is charged via the solar panels on top.
Designed by Dr Kenneth Tong of the University College London, it weighs 800g and has a USB charging socket for charging any digital mobile device. Dr Tong has, for some reason, combined twelve flexible solar panels with a high gain antenna.
With all the difference of opinions about whether or not cell phone signals are bad for us, I‘ll leave it up to you to decide if you want this gadget so close to your head.
While, I doubt this will ever be made available to the public, you never know if the English are on to something special.
Source: Gizmodo
