ShadeCraft Sunflower solar patio umbrella follows the sun at CES 2017

Now playing:
Watch this:

Watch this giant robotic arm shield the sun

0:58

I love being outside, but direct sunlight can be kind of annoying. Fortunately, Los-Angeles-based robotics startup ShadeCraft has come up with a seriously cool solution — the Sunflower.

The Sunflower is an autonomous patio umbrella/shade that has a ridiculous amount of tech packed into it, all designed to keep you comfortable no matter the outdoor conditions. ShadeCraft says the Sunflower won’t be ready until 2018, but here’s a list of its promised smarts:

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
• Solar-powered
• Built-in security camera
• Integrated lighting
• Built-in sensors
• Related SmartShade app for Android and iPhone

While we’ve seen all sorts of cool one-off products and ideas expand into bigger trends — Amazon Echo ($30 at Amazon), anyone? — we haven’t seen anything quite like Sunflower before. It certainly seems like a clever way to manage the sun, but we’ll just have to see it for ourselves. We’re tracking down Sunflower here at CES for hands-on photos and video, so check back soon.

Click here to find out what else is happening at CES 2017.