As temperatures continue to rise around the world, a Japanese company has come up with a unique way to help people cool off.
Trusco Nakayama launched the Do Hiemon Box earlier this year, describing it as a “personal cooling box” that works like a refrigerator for humans. The stainless-steel booth stands nearly 7 feet tall and includes a clear acrylic door and a sitting bench inside. It looks a lot like a personal sauna, except it does the exact opposite.
Once seated inside, users are blasted from behind and above with air cooled to about 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit). The cold air is directed toward the neck and upper body, and users can choose from three temperature and airflow settings. The machine automatically shuts off after 20 minutes to prevent overcooling.
The 646-pound box sits on locking wheels, allowing it to be moved around. It does not require any special installation and can be used indoors or outdoors by plugging it into a standard Japanese electrical outlet.
The product arrives during a brutal summer. Earlier this year, the Japanese weather agency adopted a new term for especially hot days. The Japan Meteorological Agency announced in April that days that reach at least 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) will now be referred to as “kokushobi,” translated as “severely hot day.” The term was selected through a public vote.
And with extreme heat comes serious health risks.
Heat-related illness occurs when the body can no longer cool itself effectively or has lost too much water and salt through sweating. It can lead to symptoms like fatigue, nausea, headaches, and muscle cramps. In the most serious cases, it can result in heatstroke or even death. Heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related death, according to the World Health Organization.
Trusco says the box is intended to help prevent serious heat-related conditions by giving people a place to rapidly lower their body temperature.
“The concept was less about providing a place to rest and more about providing equipment that could help prevent heat-related conditions from becoming more severe,” Fumiaki Matsubara, general manager of Trusco’s product division, told Bloomberg.
The company is marketing the boxes primarily to workplaces where people are regularly exposed to high temperatures, including factories, warehouses and construction sites.
Trusco has already sold roughly 200 boxes for about 1.5 million yen ($9,500) each, according to Bloomberg. Buyers reportedly include steel mills, construction companies, golf courses, universities, and some leisure facilities.
Source: Gizmodo