Skip to main content

Can this copper comforter really keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter?

chill copper comforter screen shot 2016 07 19 at 10 52 pm
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The Goldilocks of comforters purports to have arrived, and its secret? Copper. For all those times that you’ve lamented your inability to achieve homeostasis under a blanket in bed (seriously, it’s hard to be not too hot and not too cold), there’s now a potential solution. Meet the Chill, a comforter that promises to be “both comforting and cool.”

While we currently only have the Chill team’s word for it, those behind this copper blanket promise that it is not, in fact, too good to be true. Hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars have been spent to build a working prototype of a Chill, and the engineers behind it promise that “it is a miracle.”

So how did they do it?

Recommended Videos

According to the team’s Kickstarter page, the Chill project managers first built “dozens of 4-inch prototypes with combinations of different fills and fabrics, and empirically tested their thermal conductivity in laboratory conditions.” Ultimately, they found that a linen shell comprised of 1 mm copper beads was capable of dissipating heat over four times as efficiently as the thinnest cotton comforter they could produce. But because the copper blanket was much heavier than the cotton one, it was simultaneously cozier than other options as well.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

But it wasn’t enough for the Chill team to simply product a heavy, thermally-conductive comforter. “We weren’t satisfied with the feel of the Chill until we added the snuggle bar,” the team said. And once they did, they created a product that is said to feel like a comforter, but is “cool to the touch like a fresh set of sheets.”

And don’t worry — the Chill team knew there would nothing chill about a comfortable comforter that didn’t have the aesthetics to match. So by using a long-fibered linen, the makers say they’ve produced a comforter that “fits perfectly into a duvet cover and doesn’t have the tendency to shift like a down comforter does,” resulting in a “flat, crisp-looking bed.”

Of course, the ultimate sell of the Chill is its comfort. It purports to be a weighted comforter that isn’t too hot for the summer, saving you money by cutting down on both your AC costs and your heating expenses. But you’ll have to spend quite a pretty penny to get one of these in your home. A twin XL comforter starts at $225, whereas the king size starts at $350.

But can you really put a price on a good night’s sleep?

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Sony keeps you cool on the move with a wearable air conditioner
sony keeps you cool on the move with wearable air conditioner reon 2

Sony has launched a wearable air conditioner to keep you cool in the summer.

It was about a year ago when we first heard that the company was developing the gadget, called Reon Pocket.

Read more
Sleep Number’s Climate360 smart bed warms and cools sleepers for better comfort
sleep numbers climate360 smart bed at ces 2020 climate 360 45 degree r2 tk

This story is part of our continuing coverage of CES 2020, including tech and gadgets from the showroom floor.

To get a better night’s sleep in 2020, Sleep Number debuted a new smart bed at CES this week that is sure to lull even insomniacs to sleep by controlling the bed's temperature.

Read more
This smart display alternative can now use AI to plan all your meals
The Skylight Cal Max installed on a wall.

Skylight is a smart home company that produces a variety of smart display alternatives, such as the Skylight Cal Max. These serve as a central hub for all your daily planning -- they’re primarily used as a digital calendar, but you can also use them to track chores, make lists, or meal prep. That last aspect just became much more exciting, as Skylight is officially introducing Sidekick, an AI-powered assistant that can plan all your meals in just a few minutes.

Sidekick is a new AI feature for Skylight devices. It’s capable of generating personalized recipes based on your budget, family size, and dietary restrictions, and it’ll even create a shopping list and load up step-by-step cooking instructions. Skylight hopes the new feature will save families 10 hours every month, as they’ll no longer need to worry about the logistics surrounding meal prep.

Read more