The 'smart' Kafya umbrella
Photo: Manal Dandis
Palestinian-Saudi team invents 'smart' solar umbrella for Mecca pilgrimage
The umbrella is marketed to Muslims making the journey to Mecca, is fitted with solar strips that power USB ports, fan and other gadgets that could help alleviate the heat.
Palestinian consultant Manal Dandis and Saudi Arabian researcher and environmental engineer Kamel Badawi have teamed up to create a new “smart” umbrella, aimed to make the Muslim population's Hajj (traditional pilgrimage) to Mecca a little more comfortable. This year, the Hajj is slated for September 9.
The solar-powered umbrella, called a Kafya, is equipped with solar energy strips to power the attached USB ports, fan, flashlight and GPS system, which could help them combat the extreme heat common to Mecca, with the GPS system aiding them in locating friends and family. When folded, the umbrella could even be used as a cane.
The 'smart' Kafya umbrella (Photo: Manal Dandis)
“We started our idea from the Hajj,” said Dandis. “My partner was a volunteer with the Hajj for 40 years and he knows exactly what the Hajj needs. In Mecca, there are no adapters for electricity and there are three or four million people who need to charge their mobile phones.”
Because temperatures can range from 86 to even 113 degrees Fahrenheit, pilgrims often use umbrellas as protection from the sun while performing the Hajj. “Many people suffer from medical issues while on the Hajj and the most common medical conditions due to communicative diseases and overcrowding are influenza, overheat, and burning tents,” Abdulaziz Al Mudaiheem of the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences said in an email.
The Hajj, which is a holy pilgrimage to Mecca and considered to be one of the five pillars of Islam, is the biggest annual gathering of people in the world. Last year, approximately two million Muslims performed the Hajj. Temperatures can range from 86 to even 113° Fahrenheit.
Unfortunately, though for the next ten years the Hajj will take place between June and September—notably the hottest months in Saudi Arabia—don’t expect the umbrella to be ready for the upcoming Hajj. Dandis and Badawi are currently crowd funding to supply what they hope will be a large demand for their product. They plan on manufacturing at least a million umbrellas in the Middle East, with Dandis promising to offer the product at a modest price.
