Today's umbrella provides some welcome portable storage and collapses down into a tube, and despite designs to the contrary, we've used the same shade-on-a-stick approach for centuries. Is there a better way? For designers Lin Min-Wei and Liu Li-Hsiang, a shield replaces the familiar dome, and it all breaks down into a disc instead of a cylinder.

By modeling the umbrella after a shield, the new shape should better protect against high winds, windy rain and turning inside-out in a downpour.

The pair of Taiwanese designers created the concept for the Red Dot design awards. Below, you can see how it works in a video, or check out how it collapses down in the gallery underneath.

Red Dot, via Yanko Design