That’s a brolly good idea, Richard
Designers have spent nearly 500 years struggling to create the ultimate lightweight yet sturdy folding umbrella. Now Richard Lawson, 23, a design graduate from Birmingham, has unveiled a spokeless brolly which he claims will not fall apart in bad weather.
The umbrella is made from spring steel loops and folds into a tiny disc that fits into the palm of your hand.
It has no spokes or sharp edges to injure fellow pedestrians and is resistant to winds that would break traditional umbrellas.
The Splu spring loaded umbrella is a complete redesign of the traditional brolly and follows months of research.
Mr Lawson said: "I had an idea about using spring steel loops in a similar fashion to portable photography reflectors and applying it to the umbrella."
Splu is constructed from spring steel, waterproof fabric and a simple plastic moulding. The central plastic handle can be pushed to one side to allow for maximum coverage space and can also be moved to collapse the umbrella.
Made of light, rip-proof nylon, the umbrella folds down by twisting the flexible spring steel loops into thirds, forming a 14cm disc which can be carried in the hand, pocket or handbag.
