PROVO, Utah (KUTV) — It’s no secret that high tech and innovation are exploding in Utah. While a lot of the new tech involves software, one lab in Provo is inventing products to make our lives a little easier.
Hall Labs has been around for years and is led by third-generation scientist/engineer Michael Hall. His grandfather, Tracy Hall, set the stage in 1954 when he invented lab made diamonds.
“I think diamonds were a good beginning for us because we have lots of capabilities here and it helps us to develop lots of new technologies,” Michael said.
Today, Hall Labs has more than a thousand patents on things like health screening toilets, portable winches, and energy-saving showers, to name a few.
More from Eye on Utah
Michael pointed to a few products which will soon be available to the public. “Refresh Shower,” for instance, is a $150 attachment to your tub-shower combo which uses recirculated water.
“If somebody was running their shower on double-A alkaline batteries, there would actually be two thousand of these what it would take,” he said while holding one of those batteries.
In December, they will start a kick-starter with “Refresh Shower,” and it should be in stores by 2024.
Another product coming on soon is the MicroClimate (Air 3) respirator, which Michael said he got the idea for on the ski slopes.
“I wanted a full-face mask and visor that didn’t touch my face,” he said.
After building some porotypes, his team came up with a light, comfortable respirator with fans and filters which protect you from harmful particulates. They can be used in industry as well as at home.
Hall Labs is also the birthplace of the Vanderhall sports car — actually a three-wheel auto cycle. They have an all-electric model coming soon, which they said is super fast.
Michael also introduced KUTV to the “Rescue Winch,” a portable, packable off-road rescue device.
“So, instead of having to mount (a winch) onto the front of your bumper, you can pull whatever angel you need,” he said.
The device has 200 feet of rope and a patented capstan which enables you to upright a car by just using a power drill or a hand crank.
“Here we like to say ideas are a dime a dozen, and we really believe it,” Michael said. “They’re worth less than a penny. It’s really about the execution of things. So our team is always trying out the ideas, but we’re trying our best to get them out in front of customers.”
_____