Paul van Dinther
Clever idea but...
Don't those big hail storms go together with very strong winds? Seeing the video suggests this balloon is affected by wind a lot.
Inflated it may become a sail and be pressed against the car. curious how well it handles that. Also the fans inflating the balloon are rather weak suggesting a gust of wind can press the air out of the balloon (deflate it) and it just might take far too long to re-inflate the balloon before hail stones fall.
A video showing that it works will be hard to make but would be more convincing.
Buellrider
I've been looking for something like that to come along and here it is. The video sure reminds me of a Monarch Caterpillar Becoming a Chrysalis. I was waiting for it to burst forth and stretch it's wings.
Michael Siciliano
TN, indulge me and view the video on the home page of our website. It may make more sense on how it all works together. Thanks.
Michael Siciliano
Paul, Please see the Hail Protector in up to 60mph winds in the 3rd video down on this link: http://www.hailprotector.com/videos/ The air pressure creates strength. The shape creates aerodynamics. Thanks.
Stewart Mitchell
what about the rock storm that is predicted?
just a silly question.
Michael Siciliano
Funny, Stewart. Yeah, I think that meteor that hit in Russia would be beyond our capabilities.
Kiel Stuart (@kielrhys)
There are already a lot of weather forecasting apps, another one just adds to the cost. Low portability and a time consuming set up process will make any hail protection system ineffective in a lot of real world scenarios, even if you're lucky enough to get a hail storm warning from a weather app. Sometimes you'll get lucky.
Here's an alternative:
http://www.hail-shield.com
Not very high tech but neither is a comb - it just does what it's meant to do. It's compact and portable, and sets up in an instant. The high-tech is in the thought that went into design rather than the complexity of the product which makes it as simple, and thus fast and inexpensive as possible.
Michael Siciliano
Kiel, what we are doing with the application is proprietary and patent pending. It's beyond that of what is offered presently in the USA. Not to mention we're including it for free for the lifetime of your ownership of Hail Protector.
5 minutes of install time when we give you your hail forecast for the day and update it as your hail forecast changes. So you've truly got hours of heads up. Then we give you a 30 to 60 minute heads up to press your button to activate. And once you press the button you begin getting protection within 2 minutes and have full protection within 5 minutes. Powered by AA batteries for 1 hour, powered by cigarette lighter cord for 2.5 hours without effecting the starting power of your car or by AC outlet virtually indefinitely. Packs up in the size of a dry cleaning bag. Portability was essential to the design.
Lumen
Saw it on Invention USA television series. Great to see that it's coming to market. You guys put a lot of years and dedication in, and best wishes!