Unless running their own firm, industrial designers don't get to choose the problems they solve. The client's problem, no matter how small, becomes your Manhattan Project. So while this may seem frivolous, let's say your client supplies beach resorts, and this is their problem:All this time, we've been so worried about robots coming for us, we took our eye off of beach umbrellas.What would you do? Any designer would note that the solution is within the environment itself. Every beach has, in addition to wind, sand. As earth materials go, sand is the easiest to move.This BeachBUB umbrella employs an integrated sandbag. You fill it on-site, obviously, and it becomes a ballast. This AnchorONE design comes with a shovel. You dig an 18"-deep hole, then insert the anchor, which is made of HDPE and PVC. The company says they've tested it in a wind tunnel and that it will handle up to 44 mph gusts. If digging doesn't appeal to you, this Blue Beach Umbrella Anchor System consists of sliding poles that serve as both the anchor and the installation tool. You hammer the thing two feet into the ground, which is supposedly enough to keep the included umbrella steady. Not everyone craves the safety of an anchored umbrella. As you can see below, at least one Florida-Man-type sees windblown umbrellas as an opportunity to interact with his environment. #design #solutions #beachside #umbrellawind #wars