Wherever the Weather

In one of my favorite childhood films, Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart, there is a conversation between two lovers. Miss Acacia, who is nearly blind, asks about the odd pitter-patter. Jack says it's the rain, to which Miss Acacia says she does not like getting wet, but loves the sound of it.

This is what I wanted to capture: when simulating weather, you can literally simulate the water, the wind, but can you simulate how it feels to experience it? Water alone is not enough: what makes a shower different from a rainstorm? The umbrella, the humble everyday device that is carried through many weather conditons to shield from rain or blazing sun, is a medium through which we experience weather. You feel the wind in how it tugs from the inside, pulling you wherever it pleases. You feel the rain in how it taps on the canopy, keeing you in an auditory bubble. You feel the intimacy when you share an umbrella with a lover, huddled close for protection.

The handle and canopy of the device contain different sensors and actuators to simulate meterological conditions. They are controlled by a wireless microcontroller beneath the canopy, which communicates with a digital interface that the user uses to set a location. The umbrella then simulates the live precipitation, wind, and humidity of that chosen location, allowing the user to be transported to a nostalgic home or novel adventure.