Internet umbrella
Researchers with Keio University’s Okude Laboratory have developed an unlikely platform to showcase content from the burgeoning image website Flickr. Pileus, also known as the Flickr Umbrella, downloads and projects still-image and video content in real time from Flickr or other websites using the umbrella fabric as the projection surface. A simple flick of the wrist rotates the umbrella shaft a couple degrees and advances the images.
The umbrella also comes equipped with a simple camera mounted to the shaft, and a low-resolution photograph may be taken, uploaded to the internet, and actively projected by the umbrella within two to three seconds. Global positioning system (GPS) data is also associated to the umbrella, and a map of the surrounding context may be projected to assist with local navigation.
Contact: Pileus LLC, Tokyo, Japan.
For more information, see Transmaterial 2: A Catalog of Materials That Redefine our Physical Environment
