When leading luxury bedding manufacturer King Koil introduced Flowt, its innovative gel mattress collection at the Las Vegas Market last month, few were more excited than Chris Larson, founder of Comfort King Mattress Factory. For the local two-store, vertically integrated retailer, the unveiling meant his gel technology invention was hitting the national stage.
Eight years in the making, Flowt zero-gravity gel technology originated from a joint research initiative between Larson’s company and the North Dakota State University engineering department, in partnership with the Centers of Excellence Commission.
According to Larson, the project was focused on developing next-generation sleep materials using advanced manufacturing technologies, including 3D printing of the human body and customized material engineering. In studying collapsing columns of gel — the typical square-grid configurations typically used in the mattress market today — Larson had a vision of a unique, spiral gel grid design, one he described as “a field of floating umbrellas.”
Larson applied for a patent for his concept which was awarded in 2023. Even so, he said, “As a small company it can be very difficult to get a new idea off the ground, and I had a difficult time initially finding a manufacturer to help me develop it.”
Following extensive research, Larson turned to the Italian company Gel Industries, which helped complete the engineering process, and Larson began featuring the technology in Comfort King beds.
“Chris Larson did a lot of research and experimenting, and we were very excited to closely collaborate with the inventor of this innovative technology in creating our newest collection,” said David Binke, chief executive officer of King Koil, which is today the exclusive distributor of the patented gel technology in North America.
King Koil’s new five-bed Flowt collection of hybrid and hand-tufted models is set apart by a uniquely balanced sleep surface of interconnected gel spirals that twist as a sleeper moves, gently adapting to the body while completely eliminating motion transfer between partners.
Progressive spiral grid design ensures ventilation flows in every direction, and the adaptive cooling thermal gel absorbs and releases heat to keep sleepers cool throughout the night.
“This exclusive partnership with King Koil positions Flowt as a cornerstone material in the next generation of luxury sleep systems,” Larson said. “We’ve been constructing Comfort King mattresses with Flowt technology for the past five years, and our customers love it. It was incredibly gratifying to see the excitement from other retailers in the King Koil showroom during the Las Vegas Market. We know it’s simply the most comfortable cushion material out there.”
