Foot spa on wheels

When I came across a report about a Chinese carmaker developing a foot bath for its vehicles, the first thing that came to mind was, “Is this for real?”

Mind blown. Car manufacturers spend considerable time and effort making sure water stays out of their cabins, and here was one designing a way to bring it in, preferably warm enough for a relaxing soak.

As it turns out, the patent is real, although the foot bath has yet to appear in a production car.

Chinese automaker Deepal, a brand under Changan, has applied for a retractable basin that folds away beneath a seat and slides out when needed.

The application was published by Chinese authorities on 9 October, complete with drawings showing how the unusual contraption would work.

Back when I was a younger engineer, I wrote technical white papers and was among the inventors named in a patent application published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United Nations agency that administers the international patent application system.

Ours had the rather lengthy title “Edge Coating Apparatus and Methods for Non-Circular Solar Cell Substrates” (https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2010011200A1/en), which essentially involved equipment for applying a protective coating to the edges of solar cells.

So when I came across Deepal’s patent, I was curious to examine its drawings and find out how the engineers intended to fit a foot bath inside a car.

An electric mechanism slides the folded basin out from beneath the seat and opens it into a small tub. It has water heating, massage rollers and adjustable settings controlled through the car’s infotainment system. After use, the water drains away, the basin folds back and ultraviolet lamps disinfect it.

That’s quite an elaborate way to soak one’s feet, considering a basin of warm water would normally do the job.

Deepal is already known to Filipino motorists, having made its local debut at the Manila International Auto Show last April with the S05, S07 and G318.

Interestingly, Deepal isn’t the first Chinese manufacturer to consider bathing facilities inside a car. Chery received a patent in 2022 for an onboard foot bath with water heating and massage functions.

And if washing one’s feet is not enough, fellow Chinese automaker Seres received patent approval earlier this year for a toilet that slides out from beneath a vehicle seat. It even responds to voice commands and comes with built-in waste treatment and odor control.

For real. You cannot make this stuff up.

I wonder what the next automotive accessory will be. At this rate, car dealerships may need to employ plumbers alongside their mechanics in the future.

Maybe someone will eventually find the perfect way to integrate all this equipment. Until then, I would be perfectly happy to let the car take me to a proper foot spa.