The Rain Shield, a Red Dot award winner, puts a clever spin on the conventional umbrella. Most umbrellas are designed with only rain drops in mind, completely ignoring the effect that wind has on the direction that rain falls. The shield-like umbrella is formed with a single curved steel wire and a telescopic rod, has no pointed ends or sharp edges, and it won’t blow inside out in windy conditions. It’s shield-like shape is much easier to handle in the wind and is completely collapsable. Unlike a typical umbrella, the Rain Shield folds and compresses easily into a 180-millimetre-diameter disc so that can it can be stored flat in a bag or briefcase. The Rain Shield was designed by Taiwanese students Lin Min-Wei and Liu Li-Hsiang. Although working prototypes have been built, the umbrella is not currently for sale.
