DW: Does it have an attack mode?
A YouTuber has built a drone-powered umbrella that hovers above you and follows you through the rain, no hands needed. John Xu of the "I Build Stuff" channel first created a flying umbrella back in 2024, but viewers pointed out the obvious problem: you still had to control it with a handheld device. So Xu spent two years working on an upgrade. The new version uses a special camera that tracks the user and follows them automatically, even in the dark. GPS was too unreliable, so he switched to time-of-flight tracking for better accuracy.
The umbrella is not perfect and does not always stay directly overhead, but it works well enough to free up both hands. Of course, there are still issues like wind, rain, battery life, noise, and the safety of spinning blades above people's heads. Xu admits the device is not ready to replace regular umbrellas, but it hints at what future gadgets might do…and apparently what YouTubers will do when they have some free time.
Source: New Atlas