This topic, Japan develops a “human refrigerator” to face deadly heat waves appeared on Technology Without Borders.

Japanese company SDRS developed a new device called the “Do Hiemon Box”, which is a personal cooling room designed to lower body temperature within minutes and has already started appearing in several public places inside Japan.

The company drew inspiration for the design of the device from the vending machines that are widespread in Japan, as it comes with a similar size, approximately 2029 mm high, 931 mm wide, and weighs 293 kg. It is also equipped with wheels to allow easy transportation without the need for installation work, making it suitable for use indoors or outdoors.

The device maintains an internal temperature of 15 degrees Celsius while directing cold air, which can reach about 5 degrees Celsius, towards the head, neck, shoulders, and back at the same time. The company confirms that users feel a noticeable drop in body temperature within five minutes, while staying inside for ten minutes may help alleviate symptoms of heat stress.

The device provides three levels of cooling and airflow, and it automatically stops after 20 minutes to avoid excessive drops in body temperature. It consumes about half the energy consumed by a traditional local air conditioner.

Do Hiemon Box was put on sale last April for 1.5 million yen (about $9,230) before taxes, and is targeted at companies and institutions rather than individual users. The company has already donated one unit to the city hall building of Maybashi City in Gunma Prefecture.

The device's launch comes at a time when Japan is experiencing unprecedented heat waves: authorities recently adopted new official terminology for days when temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius, while 48 people were hospitalized with heatstroke in Tokyo in just one day on July 15.

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Japan develops ‘human refrigerator’ to combat deadly heat waves appeared first on TechCrunch.