Solar-Powered Umbrellas Could Save Lives As The World Continues To Heat Up

Credit: Quartz
Credit: Quartz

As Islamophobia continues to take over the world, there are still some good people out there that, not only don’t want to judge people based on their faith, but actually want to help them in their religious practices.

Each year, millions of Muslim pilgrims embark on their journey to the holy city of Mecca, the destination for the pilgrims fulfilling their duties and dreams.

One Saudi Arabian scientist, Kamel Badawi, has been assisting Muslim pilgrims since he was younger and has seen first-hand what it takes to make such a trek.

Along with his Palestinian partner, Manal Dandis, they developed a smart umbrella called Kafka that uses solar energy to power a built-in fan, a GPS system to direct the user, a flashlight, and three USB outlets for charging devices.

Badawi explained why they decided to create smart umbrellas:

“Umbrellas are always in demand especially in Europe. They are also being used in Hajj. However the pilgrims only use the umbrella as a form of protection from the sun. No one has considered the umbrella could be used for more than one purpose. When we started thinking about this, we found that we could install a built-in fan to keep the user cool.”

The two are hoping to help people during Hajj season and others in general that live in very hot areas with no access to air conditioning or a cool space.

Credit: Inc Arabia
Credit: Inc Arabia

Since the next twelve years are supposed to be extremely hot in the Middle East, as reported by Tribune, this umbrella could literally save lives.

The GPS system connects to an app so that each pilgrim can more easily communicate with each other regarding location and status.

Since they want people from all different countries and faiths to find this product attractive and useful to avoid the heat, the pair are avoiding marketing it as a Hajj-only product.

The scientists are working on a prototype in order to obtain a copyright for this ingenious device, and are hoping to sell the umbrella at an affordable price so that the people that really need it can buy it. Their goal is for a government body or international organization to invest in their product to get mass production off the ground.

In the meantime, the fact that these scientists care about the well-being of Muslim pilgrims and those suffering from lethal heat strokes worldwide is great, and hopefully this concept gets off the ground and into the hands of the right people.

What are your thoughts on this smart umbrella? Please share, like, and comment on this article!


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