IlluminateSky - Luminous Umbrella

The "Luminous Umbrella" design is an innovative umbrella that is equipped with luminous LEDs to change the color of the lighting. This unique combination of umbrella and LEDs creates an extraordinary visual experience, enhancing your style and creating a unique atmosphere.

The history of the umbrella dates back to ancient Egypt. The umbrella was primarily used by the aristocracy and upper classes. The idea was to protect the skin from the scorching sun. Of course, the rulers did not carry the umbrella themselves, but were served by their slaves. These umbrellas did not protect against rain, and the typical umbrella design and automatic mechanism were developed centuries later. It is worth recalling that the name "umbrella" itself comes from the Italian words para sole meaning protection from the sun. In turn, the English word umbrella comes from umbra (Latin - shade).

When talking about sunny Italy, it should be remembered that it was there that the typically European fashion for umbrellas was born. Interestingly, it was at this time that the first rain umbrellas were created. In the first centuries, umbrellas were not at all functional and practical. Opening them posed many difficulties, because the material of the canopy was not properly adapted, like the current plastics. Later, a folding mechanism was invented. This was in Paris, in 1715, while the metal frame known today was developed in Britain, in 1852.Has the history and ways of using umbrellas already been exhausted?Certainly not.

The next step in the evolution of umbrellas are umbrellas illuminated from the inside with LED light.

The umbrella has always been an elegant accessory. And now, with the ability to change the light of the umbrella, you can perfectly match it with the color and style of your clothing or other accessories. Certainly, such an umbrella is a great idea to stand out from the gray crowd and emphasize your originality....

The illuminated umbrella is not just a simple color-changing accessory. When you select the appropriate illumination program, you can inform your surroundings what mood you are in. For people who have difficulty verbally expressing their emotions or mood est a much easier way. Imagine a rainy day and people walking around with illuminated umbrellas, each indicating their mood. We can see whose umbrella is flashing a red-blooded color today and looks like an emergency light. We immediately know who is in a bad mood today and it's better not to mess with them. We would avoid many unpleasant situations :)

Have you planned a romantic evening under a cloud? Take an LED umbrella with you. Set a moody, light light while shielding yourself from the eyes of curious people.

Or maybe you just want to read a book in the evening on the beach? Rest the umbrella and the text in the book illuminated with it. This will certainly be more convenient than holding a flashlight in one hand and in the other, a book.

The illuminated umbrella can also be used by photographic artists, as a background or dynamic element in a photo.

Above are described examples of how to use an illuminated handheld umbrella. However, another option can be illuminated patio umbrella. During the day - protection from the sun, in the evening - illumination for feasting together at the table.

Thanks to the LEDs, the umbrella can shine in a wide spectrum of colors, allowing you to customize the light to suit your mood, occasion or preference. Whether you want to create a romantic aura with uniform warm light or a joyful atmosphere full of flashing colors, the "Luminous Umbrella" is ready to meet your needs.

The "Luminous Umbrella" design is a perfect example of combining innovation, functionality and aesthetics. Whether it's a walk around town, a romantic date or an outdoor event, this LED umbrella will make any event magical.

Materials

Straight umbrella, 4m long addressable RGB LED strip (I have 4 x 1m), microcontroller (I have an M5Stack Atom Lite, but any ESP32 compatible device will do), 5m long single core cable, 1m long heat shrink tube 10mm, 0.1m long heat shrink tube 4mm, 32 pieces of 10mm cable ties, power bank with USB-A port.

Building

To make the umbrella, you will need basic skills in cutting and stripping cables and soldering. It takes about 3 hours to assemble the entire umbrella. After that there is also need to install software to the microcontroller to control the LED strips. I have used WLED application that is a fast and feature-rich implementation of an ESP8266/ESP32 webserver to control NeoPixel (WS2812B, WS2811, SK6812, APA102, and similar) LED’s. I have also configured WLED to allow me to use hardware button to change color effects. Using my phone (or any device with web browser) I can control many other functions of the colored stripes on this umbrella.

Below are photo and videos of the eletronic parts before attaching to the umbrella, to check for proper connections and operation.

Results

Future work

LED strip will be replaced by the The official LEDs from nLiten Tech.
Power bank will be replaced by ASCA solar.
There is some mess with conection of wires, so they will be connected using custom connectors that allows to connect multiple wires.
The button to change color effects will be moved to hand of the umbrella.
The color effects can be enhanced by using build in to microcontroller accelerometer and gyroscope sensors.