Article

Umbrella kiosks keep visitors dry

Rainy cold days can turn shopping or going to class into a miserable experience, especially when you forget your umbrella. One company is attempting to turn that drenched frown upside down with bright yellow rental umbrellas, available via kiosk.

January 6, 2016 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

Rainy days are rarely fun for shopping, especially when the temperature begins to drop, making shoppers both cold and wet. Students also are familiar with the struggle of dragging in wet backpacks into class, and find that their incredibly expensive textbook was ruined by the downpour. One company is attempting to remedy these kinds of problem by lending umbrellas from a kiosk.

UmbraCity recently deployed its umbrella kiosk to the University of British Columbia. It allows users to rent the umbrellas for free for 48 hours, according to the UmbraCity website. In order to utilize the kiosk, students simply need to register and receive a card. If they keep it out longer than 48 hours, they will be fined daily up to the value of the umbrella.

The umbrella kiosk was deployed at five locations around the campus. Once the user scans their card, they simply grab one of the umbrella handles and slide it over to a slot that allows them to pull it out.

The umbrellas themselves are designed to be "lightweight, high quality and very resistant to strong winds," according to a company press release. "The bright yellow color of our umbrellas increase pedestrian visibility on dark gloomy days and simply cheer up a gray rainy day," UmbraCity co-founder and UBC alumnus Babak Asad said in the release.

Watch the kiosk in action at the busy university in the video below:

About Bradley Cooper

---

Bradley Cooper is the editor of ATM Marketplace and Food Truck Operator. He was previously the editor of Digital Signage Today. His background is in information technology, advertising, and writing.

Connect with Bradley: