Japan’s Qurra gadget has a weird name, logical purpose: Keeping your feet warm in winter

In a no-shoes-indoors society, the Qurra is here to help.

Heat rises, and winter is the coldest season. Put those two scientific facts together, and it’s easy to predict that a lot of people are going to be feeling chills in their feet over the next few months. That’s especially true in Japan, where people don’t wear shoes in their homes, and even some offices have a “Please take your shoes off at the door” policy (side note, should you ever visit SoraNews24 headquarters in Tokyo, feel free to use a pair of guest slippers that we keep inside the entrance).

So here to help solve the problem is Japanese gadget maker 3 R Plaza, with the Qurra.

Even by Japanese tech industry standards, the meaning behind the name “Qurra” is difficult to determine. What’s important, though, is that the item’s purpose is clear: to send jets of warm air up from beneath to keep your feet toasty and cozy while you’re doing desk work.

Since the Qurra is going to be on the floor, the designers save you the trouble of having to squat down to fiddle with a power switch, and instead the unit can be turned on or off using your feet. You can also set it to either send out a stream of constant warm air, or to only activate when it detects your feet have been placed on it, and automatically shuts off should you get up or slide your feet off.

The dimensions are compact, but the design is such that there’s plenty of space to position your feet, since ideally you want your feet to feel neither cold nor cramped. The power cord can retract into the housing, and the Qurra is light enough (1.6 kilograms [3.5 pounds]) that it can be easily picked up and placed somewhere out of the way when not in use.

The Qurra was initially offered through a campaign on Japanese crowdfunding site Makuake, but after successfully meeting its target it’s now being offered for regular purchase for 6,990 yen (US$47) through 3 R Plaza’s online shop, Amazon, and Rakuten (here, here, and here).

3 R Plaza is primarily billing this as something for office workers, telecommuters, and students who are logging a lot of hours working/studying, and in particular if you use a metal-frame desk that traps cold temperatures around your lower half, this could make a big difference in your comfort, and by extension productivity, levels. Of course, if you’re just someone who just hates the cold in general regardless of what you happen to be doing…

…there’s no rule against using the Qurra during your leisure time as well.

Source: PR Times
Top image: 3 R Plaza
Insert images: PR Times, 3 R Plaza
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