Drones are all the rage nowadays, and today's news is about a drone-umbrella, which looks like it was specially designed with golf-players in mind. As far as umbrellas go, an automatic-flying umbrella that follows you on the golf course is an awesome idea. This interesting gadget (still in its concept-phase by the way) is the brain-child of Asahi Power Service's “Free Parasol“. However, this prototype has a number of issues. First, it's way too noisy, and it may distract one from his/hers golf game. So, while providing you with a convenient way to block the sun from tanning your face, while keeping your hands free, this drone umbrella (still) is annoyingly loud. The developers of the 59-inch wide drone (that's the diameter of the attached umbrella) dubbed Free Parasol are currently trying to mitigate the sound issue, i.e. they're working on bringing the buzzing down to a tolerable hum for the human ear, or something along these lines. Another issue with this concept is that its battery lasts for just 20 minutes, and the drone is not (yet) waterproof. That's why it only makes for a sun repelling device by the way.

The final “proof of concept” is supposed to last for at least an hour of flight-time autonomy wise, and to be able to protect one from both rain and sun, while weighing a mere 2 pounds. It's worth mentioning that the current version of the Free Parasol weighs a hefty 11 pounds. The thing about this cool umbrella-drone being aimed at golf players is that widespread use of flying drones in urban areas is strictly regulated, hence the company's marketing efforts are currently focused towards golfers, who can really make use of such a gizmo while “doing their thing” on private golf courses. According to a report via SoraNews, the Japanese company is intending to start selling this interesting gadget beginning next year, for the hefty price of $275. Now, the question is, why would one get a sophisticated $275 umbrella drone, instead of using the usual sun-blocking-device, loved by people from all around the world for centuries, and I am talking about the popular fashion accessory also known as the “low-tech” hat? Well, the short answer is “because you can”, and because we're not luddites, progress is great and all that jazz. Also, this umbrella drone will render obsolete that old saying about real gentlemen holding the umbrella for their lady friends, and that would further empower women, don't you think?