Imagine if you could make any shoe truly waterproof without changing the way it looks or feels? Imagine also if that shoe was as breathable and lightweight after treatment as it was before. Better still, that during your walk it could repel water and dirt to stay clean, dry and light as the moment you put them on. So no matter how WET the terrain the boot IS still DRY.
More importantly, what if the environmental impact of this process was so small it makes traditional waterproofing methods seem like a throw back to the industrial revolution!
When a technology offers truly groundbreaking benefits it forces the world to sit up and take notice. To provide all these benefits HI-TEC have joined forces with technology company P2i Ltd to launch the worlds first collection of ion-mask™ footwear.
ion-mask™ is a patented plasma based technology, originally developed for the military to protect soldiers from chemical attack. It permanently alters the surface of fabric at a molecular level to repel water and other liquids - which are forced to bead and simply run-off.
As a surface enhancement technology it works by invisibly binding polymers to each individual fibre. The benefits are as transparent as the technology itself, with minimal consumption and negligible waste, ion-mask™ enhancement represents a quantum leap in footwear technology.
With HI-TEC, featuring ion-mask™, WET IS DRY
For more details contact: Helen Durant: helend@hi-tecsports.com or visit:
www.hi-tec.com/ion-mask
Friday, 28 March 2008
Thursday, 27 March 2008
Laura tests for herself!
I've been wearing my half-and-half Ion Mask St. Moritz boots since November. At first you couldn't tell just by looking which boot was treated and which was untreated. However, after 5 months of constant wear and vigorous testing (I've particularly enjoyed jumping in every puddle I've seen!), it's obvious.
They've endured rain, mud, snow, slush and dirt, and the treated boot is definitely much more durable. Picture 1 clearly shows that the untreated boot is a lot grubbier than the treated boot – and I haven't cleaned them once since I started wearing them.
In terms of waterproofness and breathability, both boots actually have a waterproof membrane with a seam sealed upper and a 200g Thinsulate insulation, so I wasn't able to see if the Ion Mask technology made the footwear more or less breathable and waterproof. However, after making a little well on the toe for water to sit in, picture 2 shows that the puddle of water on the treated shoe was still there hours later whereas the puddle on the untreated shoe had soaked in.
Seeing a piece of waterproof toilet roll is pretty cool but by having these half-and-half treated shoes I've really been able to observe and appreciate the fantastic benefits the Ion Mask technology brings.
ISPO Awards 2008
HI-TEC and P2i are proud winners of the BrandNew Awards 2008 ISPO Sportswear Category for the revolutionary super-hydrophobic ion-mask™ treatment.
Originally developed to protect soldiers from chemical attack, ion-mask™ applies a protective layer, at a molecular level, binding invisibly to every fibre of a 3 dimensional object, repelling oil and other liquids without affecting the natural look, feel or behaviour of the material. Other award winning benefits include extreme lightweight, breathable, wipe clean and environmentally earth friendly.
HI-TEC is the first brand in the world to launch this extraordinary, ground breaking technology in their range of instantly comfortable, lightweight footwear. The first product, V-Lite Altitude Ultra WP ion-mask™ will be available in stores from July 2008.
Originally developed to protect soldiers from chemical attack, ion-mask™ applies a protective layer, at a molecular level, binding invisibly to every fibre of a 3 dimensional object, repelling oil and other liquids without affecting the natural look, feel or behaviour of the material. Other award winning benefits include extreme lightweight, breathable, wipe clean and environmentally earth friendly.
HI-TEC is the first brand in the world to launch this extraordinary, ground breaking technology in their range of instantly comfortable, lightweight footwear. The first product, V-Lite Altitude Ultra WP ion-mask™ will be available in stores from July 2008.
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Daily Telegraph: There is no escape from the mobile phone that you can use in the shower
SOON THERE really will be no escape from mobile phones. They can be used on the world's highest mountains, on planes and even underground, but phone manufacturers now want customers to use their products underwater.
Electronics companies plan to use military technology, developed to protect soldiers from chemical attack, to make mobile telephones and other equipment waterproof. Phones treated with the coating will be protected from moisture, rain and accidental immersion, according to the experts behind the technology. Tests have shown that treated phones can be used in wet environments without damage.
It could enable text addicts to use their devices in the shower. But it also means, of course, that you will have no excuse for refusing to take that early-morning call from your boss.
The technology involves an invisible coating that is chemically bonded to the surface of the instrument, repelling water and preventing it from seeping into the device where it could damage circuitry.
It has been developed by Ministry of Defence scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down, Wilts. A spin-off company, P2i, is in discussions with three leading phone makers about using the coating, Ion-Mask, on their products.
“Mobile phones and MP3 players are too small to be fitted with seals to make them waterproof, so water inevitably can creep in,” explained Ian Robins, a development director at P2i. “By making the surface repel water, we have been able to take devices that fail the normal… shower tests, and make them pass.
“Obviously, how waterproof a device is depends on design, but we can ensure that water doesn't seep through joins or small gaps. Some electronics companies want the individual components to be treated too, so they have a much greater level of protection.”
The technology works by bonding a protective layer to the device using a plasma – a gas that has been electronically charged. The chemical properties of the layer allow it to repel water and oil. It was developed for treating soldiers' uniforms, so they would repel toxic vapours and liquids in a chemical or biological attack.
While Ion-Mask coating is still used on military gear, it will soon appear in sports equipment for the first time. The shoe giant Hi-Tec has announced that it is launching a range of footwear that will be treated with the Ion-Mask technology. Rather than absorbing water and dirt, moisture will instead bead off the surface of the specially designed shoes.
Electronics companies plan to use military technology, developed to protect soldiers from chemical attack, to make mobile telephones and other equipment waterproof. Phones treated with the coating will be protected from moisture, rain and accidental immersion, according to the experts behind the technology. Tests have shown that treated phones can be used in wet environments without damage.
It could enable text addicts to use their devices in the shower. But it also means, of course, that you will have no excuse for refusing to take that early-morning call from your boss.
The technology involves an invisible coating that is chemically bonded to the surface of the instrument, repelling water and preventing it from seeping into the device where it could damage circuitry.
It has been developed by Ministry of Defence scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down, Wilts. A spin-off company, P2i, is in discussions with three leading phone makers about using the coating, Ion-Mask, on their products.
“Mobile phones and MP3 players are too small to be fitted with seals to make them waterproof, so water inevitably can creep in,” explained Ian Robins, a development director at P2i. “By making the surface repel water, we have been able to take devices that fail the normal… shower tests, and make them pass.
“Obviously, how waterproof a device is depends on design, but we can ensure that water doesn't seep through joins or small gaps. Some electronics companies want the individual components to be treated too, so they have a much greater level of protection.”
The technology works by bonding a protective layer to the device using a plasma – a gas that has been electronically charged. The chemical properties of the layer allow it to repel water and oil. It was developed for treating soldiers' uniforms, so they would repel toxic vapours and liquids in a chemical or biological attack.
While Ion-Mask coating is still used on military gear, it will soon appear in sports equipment for the first time. The shoe giant Hi-Tec has announced that it is launching a range of footwear that will be treated with the Ion-Mask technology. Rather than absorbing water and dirt, moisture will instead bead off the surface of the specially designed shoes.
SGB Golf: HI-TEC unveil breakthrough dry shoe technology
Footwear company HI-TEC are creating a new quick-dry range on plasma technology designed to protect soldiers from chemical attack.
Originally used by the military, a process called ion-masking guards material by repelling liquids and other outside agents. It does, through, retain the material's original fibre - altering the fabric surface at a molecular level to repel water and other liquids which are forced to bead and run off.
The new range will be a collaboration between technology company P2i and HI-TEC, with the shoe company labelling the product 'a quantum leap in footwear technology'. "Ion Mask has so many attributes," says HI-TEC President Tony Linford, " especially the ability to be more breathable than other waterproof products. Potentially, this allows a show that can be comfortable to wear all year round. But first we nees to work out how we could apple those benefits to a range of footwear."
With HI-TEC still at the testing stage there are no details on the new shoes. But Linford expects the price to point to be similar to membrane technology footwear and hopes to bring the product to market in Spring 2009.
ISPO Winter Review
HI-TEC were showing off their new Ion Mask technology, their membrane free, environmentally sound method of waterproofing which works on a molecular level. Frankly it was amazing. With the technology on the stand, a piece of kitchen roll was treated with Ion Mask; you've not seen technology at work until you've seen a piece of kitchen roll submerged in a fish tank and pulled out dry. The machine that treats the subject apparently needs calibration according to whatever's being treated, so we could only see the kitchen roll being done, however a pre-treated silk tie got the same treatment is amazing.
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