Outdoor activities, such as walking the dog or chatting with neighbors, are often cut short due to the discomfort and health risks associated with intense sun exposure. Our project, Shade.ai, aims to redefine personal cooling by developing an autonomous, “hands-free” umbrella drone. Unlike traditional umbrellas that require a free hand and offer limited mobility, our solution is an autonomous drone designed to hover roughly one meter above a user’s head, casting a consistent shadow over their head and shoulders. By incorporating a lightweight canopy, object detection, and seamless control via an app, Shade.ai ensures the user stays cool and protected from UV rays without ever having to hold a handle.
What makes Shade.ai unique is its high-precision tracking directly overhead the user, rather than at an angle or beside them, and its responsiveness. Using computer vision, the drone “locks on” to the user, adjusting its position to ensure the shadow never lags, even while walking at a normal pace. Designed for roughly 20-minute outdoor sessions, the drone is engineered to handle light breezes while maintaining a steady height and distance to avoid noise or wind disturbance for the user. We are building more than just a common following drone; we are creating a personal, intelligent companion for a cooler outdoor experience.