Japan has wearable air-conditioning devices that are popping up just in time for the onset of summer. Sony has started selling the Reon Pocket Heating and Cooling Air Conditioner, which you can wear to act like a portable air conditioner.
In addition to the cooling function during hot days, the device, which is placed in an undershirt with a hole facing your neck, can keep you warm during the winter.
This air conditioner does not purify and cool the air like a traditional air conditioner, but rather uses electrothermal cooling technology.
And it connects to a smart application on the mobile phone via Bluetooth to turn on instant cooling or heating, thus lowering or raising the temperature, as the device can absorb or generate heat.
The device can be used on hot days to reduce the body temperature by 13°C, and the device can raise the body temperature by 8°C on cold days, with a difference of decrease or increase depending on the person.
The bank card-sized Reon Pocket was developed last year after Sony raised $612,000 during a week-long crowdfunding campaign that summer.
Depending on the existence of a demand for the product, the Japanese company went ahead and turned the device into an official business, and Sony set the suggested retail price at $120 for the device and $17 for the undershirt.
Reon Pocket is available online and in local electronics stores, and the product is expected to get a lot of interest from corporate employees who are often out of the office.
Sony indicated that the battery can last up to two hours on a single charge, however, (Reon Pocket) also comes with a (USB Type-C) port to charge the device back up.
In a related matter, another Japanese company, (Fujitsu General), started in June to provide a cooling device that wraps around the neck.
The device will be leased to businesses for use by workers who work in locations without air conditioning, such as in the construction industry, and the price is expected to be less than $90 per month.
The device, called the Cómodo gear, cools the carotid artery in the neck using thermoelectric cooling technology, which changes temperature when electricity is applied.
The water circulates around the neck and is conveyed to a unit worn around the waist that is equipped with a cooler and a fan. The device is powered by a lithium-ion battery and can run for three hours.