Original story

MicroWeb 29.12.2013

Ultrasound umbrella is year’s Xmas hit, but that trendy steam-cloud doesn’t come cheap!

The ultrasound canopy was originally designed to add special effects to entertainment programmes and outdoor shows, but the manufacturers SetTechnics Ab of Stockholm built a few dozen miniature parasols operating on the same principle, and were bowled over by the popularity of the item.

These days anyone who follows their cyberfashion carefully cannot be seen out and about without one of the ultrasound umbrellas over his or her head. The attraction lies in the fact that in the rain an impressive cloud of steam forms over and around the umbrella’s owner. The down side is that the device is expensive to use, and to be quite honest, the shape itself is not particularly trendy.

Like all clever innovations, the basic operating principle is simple enough. The user wears a kind of cap, in which a small generator produces a revolving ultrasound waveform above the head as soon as it starts raining. The ultrasound in turn heats up the falling raindrops into a cloud of steam, so that the drops do not actually reach the wearer. In the original application, of course, the idea was to create showstopping steam-frames and backdrops for plays, variety shows, and rock concerts.

The umbrella’s generator consumes so much energy that it requires an external power source. For this reason the present model will only operate in areas fitted with micropulse networks. Given the heavy drain on energy, the umbrella requires a user licence for invoicing purposes, on the basis of which the micropulse operator automatically charges up the cost of the energy used from the registered owner’s account.

The Swedish company is currently working on a lighter and more attractive model of the umbrella. SetTechnics have also been experimenting with new wavelengths to produce a diametrically opposed effect, namely the formation of clouds from ice crystals to produce rain in areas hit by drought or to fight forest fires. At the same time, the organizers of open-air events and plant growers in cold climates have shown interest in prototypes of a large-scale rainshield that would operate in the same fashion as the individual umbrellas.

Use of the umbrella requires not just fashion sense and hard cash, it also demands a measure of care from the owner. There have already been several reports of minor scalds caused to passers-by when the wearer has bent down too low close to other people. The old saw about it being bad luck to open an umbrella inside the house also holds true, as most countries have introduced regulations banning all indoor use without a special permit from the authorities.

Hannula I. & Linturi R. 1998: 100 Phenomena. Yritysmikrot Oy, Helsinki 1998. Copyright notices ISBN 952-9508-18-2

Toteuma-arvio 2026

Toteuma lyhyesti

  • Ilmiön toteuma: 1/5
  • Toteuma viiden vuoden tarkkuudella: ei; arviointi-ikkuna on 2008–2018
  • Toteuma väljemmällä aikahorisontilla: vain laboratoriotutkimuksessa
  • Ilmiön ydin: kannettava ultraäänikenttä torjuu sadepisarat käyttäjän ympäriltä ilman fyysistä sateenvarjokangasta.

Akustisella levitaatiolla voidaan liikuttaa hyvin pieniä pisaroita laboratorio-olosuhteissa, mutta kannettava laite ei pysty muodostamaan ihmiselle toimivaa sateensuojaa. Markkinoille ei ole syntynyt kuvattua tuoteryhmää.

Johtopäätös: ennusteen varsinainen käyttöilmiö ei ole toteutunut.