This has got to be the official umbrella of Web 2.0. A group of scientists at Tokyo’s Keio University have developed an umbrella with a digital camera, WiFi, and a projector built-in dubbed “Pileus”. The umbrella is used for capturing images and video while walking around in the rain, which are then sent to Flickr and Youtube respectively. As if that wasn’t cool enough, Pileus can beam previously captured images and video down on the ground via the projector attached to the umbrella.

For the device to work, you obviously need to be in the vicinity of a hotspot so that the built-in WiFi can connect to Flickr and Youtube and send media back and forth. You can navigate through your media by twisting the umbrella’s grip left and right too. How useful is this umbrella? Not incredibly. But it sure is awesome.

Now, an umbrella that doubles up as an internet browser! [Sawf]
Thanks, Dennis!