New Delhi: A Japanese company has rolled out an unusual solution to beat the heat: a one-person cooling booth that’s being dubbed a “human refrigerator” in media reports.
Designed by Japanese refrigeration and vending-machine manufacturer SDRS and sold by industrial equipment supplier Trusco Nakayama, the Do Hiemon Box was developed to rapidly cool people working in extremely high temperatures.
The human-sized cooling booth maintains an internal temperature of 15°C and directs chilled air at 5°C towards the head, neck, shoulders and back of the person occupying it. The company estimates that users will begin to feel noticeably cooler in less than five minutes, while spending at least 10 minutes inside can substantially reduce heat fatigue.
Primarily aimed at construction sites, factories, warehouses and outdoor event locations, where personnel work in elevated temperatures for extended periods, the Do Hiemon Box features three cooling modes and automatically shuts off after 20 minutes to prevent overcooling.
It uses roughly half as much electricity as a spot air conditioner and requires no installation due to its portable, wheeled design. The launch comes as Japan faces increasingly intense summers. The country has introduced a new term for days when temperatures reach or exceed 40°C, amid a sharp rise in heatstroke cases.
In April, amid a rise in heatstroke cases, the Japan Meteorological Agency even introduced the term kokushobi (“severely hot day”) for days when temperatures reach 40°C or higher.
On 22 July, more than 450 people were treated in Tokyo hospitals for heat-related illnesses, reportedly the highest single-day figure since records began 16 years ago
The standard Do Hiemon Box currently costs 1.5 million yen (approximately $10,350), excluding taxes. Though intended for business use at present, its makers have indicated that if summers continue to grow fiercer, such cooling booths could eventually become standard fixtures in public spaces.