Self-Powered Insole Converts Footsteps Into Energy, Keeping Feet Warm Or Cool
If you’re trying to keep warm during winter, you should always protect your ears, face, hands, and feet. Nowadays, with rechargeable hand warmers, fancy ear muffs, and scarves galore, one area of the body remains slightly exposed to the elements. Sure, thermal and wool socks can stave off the cold, but what does help are self-heating insoles.
The only caveat is that most run on a battery, and when that dies out, you’re left with icy toes again.
French company Solecooler has developed a new way to power up these insoles using just your feet.
The ‘Climfeet’ is a dual-purpose insole that can keep your toes from freezing off and keep them cool during the hotter months.
It consists of silicone and copper air cells within the product to produce cooling and heating effects. When a user steps down onto it, the pods on the cool side compress, and those on the warm side create a heated temperature of up to 7.2°F. When their feet lift, the cells expand and create a cooling effect up to −6.3°F.
Thankfully, you’ll only feel the difference on the side your foot is touching. According to New Atlas, Solecooler states that its system will not exude as much warmth as an electrical insole might, but it will ensure that the heating or cooling sensation is more evenly spread, unlike hot spots generated by its counterpart.
It also notes that you will feel it most during extremely cold or hot days.
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The Climfeet was designed for workers, adventurers, and just about everyone in between. That being said, the one group the company thinks this won’t work for is skiers since they’re, well… not walking.
The insoles are now up for grabs on Solecooler’s website for US$71.
[via New Atlas and Gizmodo, cover image via Solecooler]
