Product information

The temperature of outdoor surfaces often easily exceeds safe limits, creating dangerous conditions in everyday life. The images above are infrared simulated. Dark areas are cool, and light areas are hot. The images show the benefit of using the That’s Really Cool!™ technology on a slide. The slide on the left, which has the That’s Really Cool!™ technology applied to it is dark, indicating that it is a safe temperature.

Surface temperatures that exceed safe standards, like those outlined by EN563, a safety standard promulgated by the European Association for the Co-Ordination of Consumer Representation (ANEC) in Standardization, can cause burns, hyperthermia, and exacerbate asthma. ANEC has set a maximum safety temperature of 156°F/69° C for plastic surfaces which will come into contact with human skin for a minimum of 10 seconds, and 165°F/74°C for plastic surfaces which will come into contact with human skin for a minimum of 4 seconds.

According to the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS), "Recent extreme weather and climate change reports shared in the National Climate Assessment Report suggest attention to heat mitigation is needed in urban areas." Synthetic surfaces, like plastic playground equipment and decking, get hotter in the sun than natural surfaces, like wood. Metal surfaces, such as handicapped-accessible handrails, bleachers, and playground equipment, easily become much hotter or colder than is safe for human skin, which burns at 120°F/49°C. That’s Really Cool!™ mechanically cools equipment to safe temperatures (about 100°F/37°C).

WFTV Severe Weather Center 9 meteorologist Eboni Deon checked temperatures at a playground in Orlando when the forecasted temperatures were around 90°F/32°C and found that the equipment was almost 150°F/66°C and the mulch in the playground itself was 120°F/49°C. 

Brandon Bates with NBC 10 News reported in May of 2019 that first responders urge parents to test playground equipment before letting their children on it, since playground equipment can be much hotter than the ambient temperature. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) also warns that outdoor surfaces can still pose a danger, especially to children, for painful skin injury, even if the ambient temperature is not extreme. "CPSC is aware of nearly 30 thermal burn incidents from 2001‐2008" caused by overheated playground equipment. 

The National Institute of Health (NIH) found in a 2006 study that 59°F/15°C was the threshold for skin temperature that causes pain - a temperature that is achieved after only a few seconds of contact with a cold metal surface - and frostbite risk occurs when skin reaches a temperature of 32°F/0°C. According to the National Climate Report, the average temperature in February of 2018 in the contiguous United States was 34.5°F/1°C, which is cold enough to pose a serious skin damage risk to persons using handicapped-accessible handrails. 

That’s Really Cool!™ is designed to heat or cool surfaces to safe temperatures. 

The inventors of That’s Really Cool!™ developed the technology after becoming aware of children getting second and third degree burns from playground equipment in the summer months. They have since expanded the possible application of That’s Really Cool!™ to diverse outdoor equipment like ADA-compliant handicapped-accessible railings, formed play structures, manufactured decking, and other outdoor equipment. There’s also a version of That’s Really Cool!™ that can be installed on solid surfaces.

To view the demo unit or to inquire about other possible applications of That’s Really Cool!™, contact the National Sales Manager at info@thatsreallycool.net or call (443)280-9751. Contact information is also available on the Contact Us page.

That’s Really Cool!™ greatly increases the usefulness of playground projects, which can cost upwards of $100,000 per project and last for 10-20 years. The system requires retrofitting of molds for components in production, or incorporation during mold-making for new outdoor products.

The initial cost to retrofit an injection molding system using this technology is minimal, but increases the usability and lifespan of any product in which it's installed many times over.

That’s Really Cool!™ can easily be integrated into existing systems or can be standalone. The system was designed to be installed on a large scale, or into a backyard playground set. 

On-grid or off-grid sources such as solar and wind power can be used to power the That’s Really Cool!™ system. 

Furry companions are also at risk for injury if they come into contact with surfaces that are too hot or too cold. The inventors of That’s Really Cool!™ used the same technology to create PetDeck™, to make sure pets stay safe.