Using an oven to cook food during cold weather is wonderfully efficient, in that the single appliance serves a meal while providing welcome heat for the home. A new personal accessory takes a similar approach, with a very common mobile device. The Ye-T Warmpad is designed to warm feet from the heat generated by laptop wall chargers.You can find heated clothing from companies such as Ravean or Venture Heat, or stickThermaCELL heated insoles in your shoes to stay warmer. Some people might also have a portable heater to use underneath their desk when cold. But such options require power to work instead of harnessing what already exists. The Ye-T Warmpad is eco-friendly in that it helps keep toes toasty without using any added electricity. And its design may also prolong the life of laptop chargers.
The Ye-T Warmpad features anodized aluminum plates that tuck inside a padded cotton cover, which can be removed for washing. Permanently riveted to the plates are a brace of swivelling, leather-backed Velcro straps, adjustable to fit almost any laptop charger type/size. With the Warmpad in place, wall chargers become a cushioned, heated footrest instead of something to kick out of the way.
As the power brick charges out to the laptop, the aluminum plates act like heat-sinks to conduct and transfer thermal energy to the padded cover. The Ye-T Warmpad doesn't require high temperatures to work, and all it takes is a degree or three to create an appreciable effect for frigid digits. And by drawing heat away from the charger, the electronic efficiency improves, thereby saving a little extra on power.
When not in use, the Ye-T Warmpad folds up for convenient storage. Measuring 8.6 x 4.3 x 1 in (22 x 11 x 2.5 cm) at only 9 oz (255 g), the Warmpad can slide in a briefcase, bag, or purse without taking up too much space.
The Ye-T is currently funding on Kickstarter, having raised two percent of its €25,000 (approximately US$27,237) goal in a day, with another 59 days left to go. A pledge of €49 ($53) sets you up with a Ye-T Warmpad in choice of style.
Some fine tuning of the design is in order before manufacturing and assembly. If all goes according to plan, backers can expect reward shipments to start sometime this September.
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