Computers

Keyboard hand-heater uses infrared to keep your fingers toasty

Keyboard hand-heater uses infrared to keep your fingers toasty
The Envavo Heatbuff is an infrared hand-warmer that doesn't heat up the device itself or the keyboard
The Envavo Heatbuff is an infrared hand-warmer that doesn't heat up the device itself or the keyboard
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Envavo is currently seeking funding for the Heatbuff on Kickstarter, and has so far more than doubled its target
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Envavo is currently seeking funding for the Heatbuff on Kickstarter, and has so far more than doubled its target
The Envavo Heatbuff can be angled however you like, to consistently warm both hands at once
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The Envavo Heatbuff can be angled however you like, to consistently warm both hands at once
The Envavo Heatbuff warms a user's hands to between 20º and 30º C (68º and 86º F) while consuming between 2 and 300 watts
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The Envavo Heatbuff warms a user's hands to between 20º and 30º C (68º and 86º F) while consuming between 2 and 300 watts
Envavo says the Heatbuff is designed for gamers, office workers, artists, professional esports players or people with poor circulation or arthritis
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Envavo says the Heatbuff is designed for gamers, office workers, artists, professional esports players or people with poor circulation or arthritis
The Envavo Heatbuff is an infrared hand-warmer that doesn't heat up the device itself or the keyboard
5/5
The Envavo Heatbuff is an infrared hand-warmer that doesn't heat up the device itself or the keyboard
View gallery - 5 images

On long, cold days working or playing at the computer, we can rug up in sweaters or blankets, but by design our hands need to be free to bang away at the keyboard. Gloves can get in the way, and devices like Thanko's Futon mouse pad aren't all that practical. Now, a couple of self-confessed geeks from Denmark are developing the Envavo Heatbuff, a small heater that sits just above your keyboard and warms your hands, apparently without heating up your keyboard or the unit itself.

The key to the Heatbuff, say the creators, is the fact that it uses infrared short waves to keep a user's hands warm. It's designed to keep your digits at a nice and toasty temperature range of between 20° and 30° C (68° and 86° F) without affecting the keyboard or the Heatbuff itself, meaning you shouldn't burn yourself if you brush against the unit.

The Envavo team says the device can be angled however you like, to warm up both hands, assuming you keep them both on the keyboard – we're not sure if the Heatbuff's warmth can reach far enough to give your mouse hand any love. Plugging straight into a power outlet, the device is supposedly fairly energy-efficient, running at between 2 and 300 watts. The team also says it operates quietly and is easy to pack up and move, if need be.

Envavo says the Heatbuff is designed for gamers, office workers, artists, professional esports players or people with poor circulation or arthritis
Envavo says the Heatbuff is designed for gamers, office workers, artists, professional esports players or people with poor circulation or arthritis

Although its creators say the idea for the Heatbuff came to them while losing an online game of Counter Strike, the Heatbuff looks like it should work just as well for any computer-bound person with chilly fingers, including gamers, office workers, artists, professional esports players and people with poor circulation or conditions like arthritis.

Envavo is currently seeking funding for the Heatbuff on Kickstarter, where it's already more than doubled its goal of DKK75,000 (US$11,000), with 21 days still left on the campaign. Pledges for the device start at DKK499 (US$72), with bigger bundles available as well.

Source: Envavo

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7 comments
7 comments
LarryWolf
Now they need to make one for the feet.
ChairmanLMAO
Can I mount this on my bike?
Pupp1
In regards to the other posts below, you can purchase heated foot rests and mats to put under your desk.
For bikes, I have seen heated handlebar grips for motorcyclists, but I imagine the power requirements would make battery power on a bike a bad idea.
For myself, I had solved the cold-hands issue by purchasing a 60-watt heat lamp from a pet supply store. Normally it is used for reptiles to keep them warm. I just put it into a desk lamp with a goose neck. Its parabolic reflector helps to direct the heat. And it is a lot cheaper than the product these people are offering.
Douglas Bennett Rogers
An idea whose time has come! Has got to be heating those high emissivity keys a lot, though!
Daishi
This is actually a pretty good idea for people that compute in cold environments (like data centers). WHen your body gets cold it pumps blood away from extremities which makes keyboarding difficult.
yawood
OK, I live in Australia, but I can't imagine why you would need to heat your hands when using the computer. Surely you're going to be inside where it's warm anyway. If you are outside you'll be using a laptop or tablet and won't want some bulky heaters hanging around.
Ralf Biernacki
"running at between 2 and 300 watts" That's a heck of a spread. But seeing as the "short-wave infrared" emitter looks to me like an incandescent filament, it probably is closer to 300 than to 2. This seems to me like a make-or-break parameter for this device---if you can afford to splurge 300 watts, you could heat much more than your fingertips. There are electric gloves out there that consume much less---if somebody thinks to make ones with bare (or just unpadded) fingertips, they would beat this device hands down ;-) <p> Not to mention that it would make a far better design to have the two emitters separable---most people nowadays use the mouse a lot when working at a keyboard.