AN UMBRELLA STAND THAT OUTSMARTS THE RAIN

摘要

It's all too easy to forget an umbrella on a rainy day. But this is the 21st century-shouldn't your umbrella remind you when it's needed? Well, yes, it should. And it can do that via a stand that lights up when the forecast calls for rain. There are several ways to make a smart umbrella stand, but the easiest uses UttleBits modules, miniature circuit boards that snap together with magnets. The stand communicates with an online weather forecast through the Internet-connected cloudBit module and a service called IFTTT (short for "If This Then That"), which helps Web applications talk to one another. For example, if Yahoo Weather predicts rain, then IFTTT will send a command to the cloudBit, telling the electroluminescent wire on the stand to illuminate.