Wearable Air Conditioner

Sony has been making their mark on the world of consumer electronics ever since the Walkman and Discman were objects of desire for kids growing up in the suburbs. Their latest project has nothing to do with music, televisions or sound devices and instead focuses on something near and dear to our hearts–staying cool during the hotter months. Sony invented, and is currently crowdfunding, the Reon Pocket, a portable air conditioner that slips into the upper back of a custom shirt. So how, exactly, does it work? The Reon Pocket uses thermoelectric cooling that can be controlled through Bluetooth to cool your internal body temperature by up to 23 degrees Fahrenheit or warm it by up to 14 degrees. The technology sounds remarkable, but there are still a number of issues. It only lasts around 2 hours when it’s in use, so it will need to be charged for a full day of cooling. It only works with their proprietary shirt, so it’s not something you can just add to your wardrobe. Most importantly, it’s only available in Japan, so you’ll have to have one imported if you want to cool (or heat) yourself… assuming the product actually works. And yet, we’re still incredibly excited about the technology because who doesn’t want a personal, portable air conditioner you can wear at all times?