Tech Start-Up Hopes To Deliver HVAC For The Feet

Picture yourself in a business meeting in the middle of July. The sun outside roars a ferocious 110 degrees.

Some of your guests had to hoof it across a melting asphalt parking lot to make it to your gathering.

As they settle in their chairs, you notice they tap a couple of buttons on their smartphones. Suddenly, their eyes roll in the backs of their heads and they let out a pleasurable sigh of relief.

What’s going on here? Is this something you need to report to HR?!

Actually, this scenario could play out sometime in the near future if a new invention—air conditioning for the feet—gets the funding it needs on KickStarter.

Vay Technologies, a Dutch start-up, seeks a little more than $40,000 to launch uGale, a shoe insole that promises to deliver HVAC for the feet.

The uGale takes advantage of miniaturization, packing a micro-compressor to distribute a cool flow of air to all areas of your feet during the hot summer, and warm air during freezing winters.

Vay Technologies says that the fresh flow of air in your shoes all year long not only makes things super-comfy for your dogs, but can also stave off the fungal infections and smelly bacteria caused by sweaty feet stuck in unventilated shoes.

These aren’t your grandma’s insoles. uGale goes all out on the technological spectrum, offering adjustable airflow, shock absorption, and temperature, humidity, and accelerometer sensors.

One of the most impressive aspects of the uGale concept is its wireless connectivity. It offers smartphone control via Bluetooth and a wireless charging station.

The charging station “allows users to charge their insoles without having to take out the insoles from the shoes,” the inventors wrote in a press release. “Hence, individual s can keep their insoles inside their shoes at all times even when it’s time to recharge the insoles. Thus by the wireless charging technology, the company allows users to stay away from the discomfort of taking out the insoles multiple times.”

Our HVAC techs are on their feet all day long at Daffan Cooling & Heating, so the uGale sounds like something we’d seriously consider if the technology proves viable.

So if you see us tapping on our smartphones and letting out a sigh of relief, you’ll know it’s nothing sinister—we’re just cooling our heels with the uGale!