zUFO wins a “CES Award 2023” for its patented ski boot concept

zUFO tackles the unsolved problem of ski boot comfort and offers a concept without a hard shell or hook to replace current technology which has evolved very little in 50 years and suffers from a lack of innovation. His mission ? Providing comfort to 135 million skiers thanks to its precise and comfortable exoskeleton. The zUFO ski boot is still in the development phase. Tests in ski resorts and fundraising are planned for 2023 to launch industrialization and marketing in the winter of 2023-24.

The comfort of ski boots: an unsolved problem to date
In the 1970s ski boots with plastic shells appeared. This technology was disruptive at the time: we went from leather shoes that did not support the lower leg to technology that retained the ankle thanks to a rigid shell. This technology has evolved little since then and this status quo shows a flagrant lack of innovation.

The problem of the comfort of ski boots is multi-factorial:
• Putting on and taking off are complicated
• As well as walking to get to the ski lifts
• Pain persists during skiing (too tight or floating foot, rubbing at the ankles or tibia, compressed kick,
etc.)
• The skier is often too hot or too cold in his boots

A new approach to ski boots: zUFO technology

Rather than improving a 50-year-old innovation, Hervé Fredouille, engineer and founder of the start-up, started from scratch by building the new zUFO concept based on the functions that the ski boot must hold during practice but also the ergonomics needed before and after practice.

zUFO is composed of an carbon fiber exoskeleton which provides the mechanical function of the ski boot (transmission of forces between the body and the ski) and a textile part which provides the waterproofing function as well as the thermal function (keeping the feet dry and provide thermal comfort). zUFO is a modular ski boot: it is made up of a dozen modules that can be assembled and disassembled without special tools or glue, and was born eco-designed.

This eco-design is based on the development of four items:

• Versatile boot: Design a multi-use shoe (piste skiing + ski touring) putting an end to the specific segmentation of leisure equipment and avoiding the multiplication of products on the market, Materials and durability: Choose the right materials (recyclable, biosourced, etc.) and work on a design allowing an extension of the lifespan of the shoe (durability thanks to the replacement of defective modules),
• Local fabrication: Modular architecture allows fabrication and assembly of modules close to their place of use,
• Optimization of the use of a product leaving the factory: Develop a new vision of the market allowing to offer products in a logic of economy of functionality and/or new business models with limited impact (sale, rental, subscriptions, etc.).
• The zUFO project is supported by ADEME (French Environment Agency) and is one of the 27 winners of
the Perfecto 2022 Call for Projects, which aims to bring out an offer of products, services and processes
with a lower environmental impact, thanks to an eco-friendly approach design.

“We are honored by this prize which represents for us a first step validating these 3 years of R&D. We are
looking towards 2023 with many projects including fundraising which will allow us to continue the
development dynamic, increase our community of testers and expand the team with – in sight – the
industrial launch of zUFO” indicates Hervé FREDOUILLE, CEO and founder of zUFO.