Update Apr 15, 2015: In an update on its Indiegogo campaign page, the Body Dryer team has announced that it will not be bringing the Body Dryer to market despite gathering pledges six times the campaign goal amount. The corporation launched to manufacture the Body Dryer is being shut down and assets sold. Contributors will not receive a full refund, but according to the company they will receive a 100 percent refund for shipping costs, with the remaining money being shared equally. It is estimated this will see contributors refunded about US$45 for each unit pledged towards.
From Dyson’s Airblade to more straight-forward designs, hand dryers are run-of-the-mill these days. Now a team of designers out of the US has turned the idea upside down to create the Body Dryer.
According to Tyler Overk from the Body Dryer Team, the body dryer is designed out of a need to “replace bacteria filled and environmentally harmful bathroom towels.”
The Body Dryer is sturdy enough to support a 325 lb (170 kg) person and is reportedly capable of drying a damp individual in approximately 30 seconds using compressed, ionized air. It has strategically angled vents to provide optimal removal of the water and the air stream can be personalized through different shaped nozzles on the footplate that develop a cylindrical tunnel of air around the user. There's also the option of hot or cold air and a digital scale is built into the unit
The Body Dryer team has already more than doubled its US$50,000 crowd funding goal through Indiegogo. It's anticipated the unit will sell for US$250 should it make it to market.
Product page: Body Dryer
Your hair is the most difficult thing to dry and its too far away for this device to have any real impact on it.
The water dripping off you would be blowing back up at you. The "ionized air pulling water off you" sounds like a gimmick from some overpriced junk I'd see in skymall.
For 5 times the cost of a space heater you could probably build a better solution for public areas that blows air both downward and from a wall like a clean room air shower: http://i.imgur.com/tq6cNpO.jpg
It looks like the only other product I see on the market intended for this application in a wall mount is almost 2k but meant to be installed in a shower.
You could probably build a heated tower fan meant for this application for about $150 reasonably and it doesn't look like there is a similar product on the market currently.
Given that our skins normally harbour a huge variety of bacteria and fungi, and that these are the ones most likely to be found on a personal towel, it seems unlikely...
If one of these dryers overheats, does it blow smoke up your a***?
Did you notice that they didn't show it drying the girl after she got out of the pool? It also showed the girl's hair COMPLETELY DRY after she stepped onto the body dryer after getting out of the pool. Deception to sell. Anytime you see a marketing campaign that uses deception to try to sell its time to run as fast as possible. This marketing campaign reminds me of the CubeX 3D printer marketing campaign where they showed objects printed by $100,000 printers setting on their $3000 printer to make us believe it would work that well.
The description and video do nothing to give me any confidence that this product can replace the towel. So sorry for those who's hopes led them to ignore critical thinking and throw money at this thing.
All these hygiene related default chores after a reasonable bath or shower involves some time and with the wall vents allowing fresh-flow of air... the body dries up rather speedily too... no need of the towel or even the bathrobe either to step into the master bedroom unless the sweet lady neighbor happens to need your help with her kitchen sink at that very moment!!! - LoL.
The palm-size hand-linen bathing glove used during the cleansing within the tub or cabin is in itself an incredible accessory to dry oneself B4 stepping out onto the floor, being 97% dried!!!
I use a superb Pro hairdryer just to finish my hairs and since the room itself is kept at a good hydro-controlled rate of about 60%, its relatively quick and short with the drying up duration hence, this gadget is good only for true invalids