Vancouver engineers invent first telescoping wind-resistant umbrella

Want to get yourself a really cool umbrella that won’t get absolutely torn apart by gale force winds, or even those times when you accidentally walk into an elevator and forget to collapse the darn thing? Vancouver-based company Hedgehog Products Inc. might have the answer for you. Their wind resistant version of the classic water proof canvas on a handle is currently setting crowdfunding site Kickstarter ablaze, raising over CAD$64,000 in just seven days.

It’s called the Cyprus Umbrella and its being billed by inventors Kevin Truong and Cahay Ho as the last umbrella that any of us will ever own. One look at the promo video displaying the strength and flexibility of the device when exposed to extreme wind will have you convinced:

But what if the canvas itself breaks, you ask? For USD$89, you’ll receive a package that includes an extra canvas, which you can snap on and off of the telescopic ribs in under three minutes. The tips of the ribs are also shielded meaning they won’t poke through the canvas itself either. All of those features surround a suspension system in the middle that keeps the umbrella flexible without sacrificing rigidity. It’s truly an amazing re-invention of a tool that we’ve been afraid to open and close both indoors and outdoors for generations.

For those who really want to give the project a boost and demonstrate that they can indeed “make it rain,” a $5,000 pledge will get you a tour of Vancouver with the inventors, a behind-the-scenes look at how the umbrella was developed and three of your very own Hedgehog-branded figurines.

This nifty gadget kind of makes me wonder why somebody else didn’t come up with the idea first. Yes the engineering is awesome, but it’s not as if the tools needed to create this wind-proof umbrella haven’t already existed for a very long time. Perhaps the proponents of the classic version didn’t want two young mechanical engineers and entrepreneurs raining on their parade?

The Cyprus Umbrella really does seem indestructible. It’s amazing what people can come up with when they put on their thinking caps and use all of the technology at their disposal isn’t it?