Chapter 5: Air Umbrella

 I saw a full-bodied sketch gradually taking shape on the whiteboard. Zhao Jianan is quite confident when it comes to hand-drawing.

This might be the best thing he has to show after four years of university life, as he has been contemplating for four years about creating a painting for the goddess he admires from afar. Unfortunately, he has always felt that his skills were not up to par and never dared to actually put brush to canvas.

This is a cylindrical object with a length marked as 50 cm. The upper and lower sections are thicker at the bottom, with a diameter of 6.5 cm for the lower section and 4.5 cm for the upper section, resembling two nested tubes. At the top of the upper tube

Next to the object, there are some arrows indicating the trajectory lines. Then, when the three interviewers have almost finished looking, Zhao An once again uses a flowing stroke to outline a translucent umbrella-shaped light cover at the top of this overall shape, which resembles a pharaoh's scepter.

"What is this?"

The three interviewers were no fools; they were instantly captivated by this imaginative concept. However, just from this impressive hand drawing alone, it wasn't enough to see the whole picture. After all, this wasn't a complete design plan, and they all looked at Zhao An with puzzled expressions.

"Everybody, this is my concept, designed according to the client's request.

"What is this? Air... umbrella?" Zhang Wei frowned and said, "Isn't this a bit far-fetched?"

In his view, this is not design at all, but more like a fantasy. After all, product design must adhere to the premise of manufacturability. A parachute made of air? It's simply unheard of!

On the side, Zhou Xinghua touched his forehead and made a thoughtful expression.

"With a straightforward and frank demeanor, Jiang Yaqi urged, 'Go on, continue speaking.'"

Zhao Jianan was satisfied and couldn't wait, and her previous dislike for her had diminished significantly. She said slowly, "An air umbrella, as the name suggests, is one that omits the traditional fabric of an umbrella and replaces it with air."

"How? How to replace?"

In fact, from Jiang Yaqi's current focused expression, it's not hard to see that she is not a person with a complex mindset; rather, she is more stubborn, dealing with issues rather than people. Perhaps it is precisely because of this simplemindedness that she has become one of the five design directors at the well-known domestic design company.

Zhao Zhen smiled gently at her and said, "Moving air can change the trajectory of an object's motion. The quicker the air moves, the stronger its energy becomes, and the jet stream can isolate certain objects."

"You mean..." Jiang Yaqi's breathing became a bit hurried. "To use the flow of air to create an airflow, forming an invisible umbrella that blocks the rain, preventing people from getting wet?" he asked.

"Bingo! Correct answer."

Jiang Yaqi stared in astonishment at Zhao An, whose face was beaming with confidence. For a moment, she was completely stunned; this was not just an outlandish idea; it was simply a stroke of genius!

Why didn't she think of that? Until now, she no longer dared to underestimate this graduate from a third-rate university. After all, the famous inventor Edison didn't even finish elementary school. These years of smooth sailing had made her somewhat restless, and she had forgotten the simple truth that one shouldn't judge a hero by their background.

Sitting next to her, Zhou Xinghua's eyes sparkled with intensity as he stared unblinkingly at the hand-drawn image on the moving whiteboard, his expression serious: "Xiao Zhang, please elaborate on your ideas in detail."

As the most senior design director at Cloud Creation, Zhou Xinghua's vision can be described as exceptionally sharp. Unlike Zhang Wei, in his opinion, this concept has a 90 percent chance of successfully designing the product.

He was just a bit puzzled. Can creativity really be shaped in just ten minutes? It's worth noting that the top students from prestigious universities usually start with aesthetics; very few dare to challenge functional design in such a short time, let alone come up with such creative ideas! Even he himself, having known about this commission for a whole week, still hadn't

Regarding Zhou Xinghua, Zhao An couldn't say he disliked him, but he couldn't say he liked him either. His not-so-rich life experience told him that the more someone always wore a smile and appeared harmless, the more skilled they often were in scheming.

"Everyone, please take a look." Zhao An stretched out his hand to point at the two sections of the cylindrical tube, saying, "This is the umbrella handle. I've designed it in a segmented way, which allows it to retract and makes it more convenient to carry, especially for women. After retraction, the expected length of the handle

"Here." Zhao Zhen pointed his finger at the bottom of the barrel, where there was a slightly flared bell-shaped opening.

He continued, "This is the air intake, where the air first enters. Then, several micro-centrifugal fans need to be installed inside the tube casing. We can draw on the design principles of multi-stage deep well pumps; the number of fans will depend on specific needs and available space. As the air passes

"Not bad!" Jiang Yaqi said with some excitement, "This is definitely a design full of imagination; it might even make it to the finals of the CF Design Awards."

"A question." Zhou Xinghua frowned and asked, "Where does the driving force come from? Is it electric power? With such a high power drive method and limited design space, what kind of battery is needed to ensure smooth operation while also guaranteeing a certain level of efficiency in usage?" "Have you thought about these? Nickel-hydrogen batteries or lithium-ion batteries?"

Even Zhao Jian had to admit that experience speaks volumes; the oldest among them, Zhou Xinghua, indeed has a more comprehensive view of the issues at hand. The driving force behind this is the most challenging aspect of his overall concept.

"Composite lithium-ion batteries are undoubtedly a beneficial choice, with superior cycle performance, high charging efficiency, and

"Uh, right." At this point, Zhao An seemed to suddenly remember something and added, "The umbrella handle will also be equipped with an energy adjustment button, which will connect to the centrifugal fan's coupling switch. This way, we can control the size of the air canopy, making it a more convenient solution for multiple users.

"Only 15 or 30 minutes?"

Zhang Wei's expression showed some disdain. If the working time is only this short, then this air umbrella is completely useless. Moreover, as the size of the air canopy increases, the working time is likely to be even shorter, perhaps only a few minutes. Doesn't that mean the user could be dren

Sigh... After all, they are just kids who have recently graduated from school, and their ideas are too extravagant.