(via) Japanese designer Hiroshi Kajimoto has created a new kind of umbrella. It’s called the unbrella. The design sees the well known structure of the usual rain shield turned on its head, which is to say the folding spokes are on the top of the shield rather than on the bottom. This allows for more head room within and for the unbrella to be folded and stood up to dry with the wet inside instead of outside (no more umbrella stands). And in a fierce wind, it merely blows closed instead of completely apart. How smart is that? And how have we never seen something like this come down the engineering pipe before? (Or have we, but we’re suffering a major brain fart?) In any event, the new product won’t be available until mid-February (aka the Ides of Rainbruary), but it’s available to pre-order online right now. The cost is listed at Y9,450, which works out to just under $100 CAD.

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