as temperatures soar higher than ever before, the idea of a portable, wearable air conditioner that keeps you cool via a smartphone app seems pretty idyllic, if not a little far-fetched. well according to sony, it’s apparently not. the reon pocket, from the company’s startup acceleration program, is a small device that does just that.
images courtesy of sony / first flight JP
the reon pocket utilizes thermoelectric cooling but sony says you can also use it as a heater on winter days. it can supposedly cool a user’s body temperature by 13 degrees celsius (23 degrees fahrenheit) raise your temperature by about 8 degrees celsius (about 14 degrees fahrenheit).
the reon pocket is a bluetooth device about the size of a card wallet that slips into a special undershirt with a pocket at the base of the neck. it connects to an app which gives users control of the temperature via their smartphone.
the wearable air conditioner supports ios and android, it has a battery life of 90 minutes and a charge time of 2 hours. it looks a little like an apple mouse, weighs just 85 grams and uses USB-c.
sony is aiming to launch the reon pocket in 2020, just in time for the tokyo olympics. it is currently available from sony’s first flight crowdfunding platform, which means it’s only available in japan. one device and one shirt costs 14,080 jpy (approx. $130) and has, at the time of publishing, has raised 48% of its goal.
project info
company: sony
name: reon pocket
status: crowdfunding
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I have seen neck cooling devices even in the 90ies in the USA. But alas – they were of course not so well connected to a smartphone. That makes sense because…because…because…why does it make sense? Just for selling one more stupid smartphone app?
There are a lot of people who cannot control their temperature due to surgeries, accidents, etc. This could be a game changer for them. Also, with climate change, living in about 1/3 of the world is already unbearable for most.
Please add me to the US waiting list, thank you!