Sony’s Wearable Air Conditioner for the new Normal
When you live in a humid or subtropical region, you would understand the pain of never ending summers. Especially people living in the asian subcontinent can agree. Amidst soaring temperatures and suffocating humidity, stepping outside during the summer and monsoon months feels like being slowly cooked like a lifeless vegetable in a hot pot. Due to the current pandemic situation, you would not need more encouragement to stay at home and summer is the perfect reason.
Sony has decided to collaborate with Reon Pocket via First Flight startup-crowdfunding source. First Flight is responsible for amazing products like Huis Smart Home universal remote and FES E Ink watch. They have now come up with a unique product – Reon Pocket which can be well known as a wearable air conditioner.
What is Reon Pocket?
Reon Pocket is a tiny palm-sized sleek white device which works as a wearable air conditioner. The device can be charged over USB-C and can be paired with your Android or iOS smartphone with Bluetooth. Now, this gadget certainly looks a lot more like an Apple mouse but with that signature Sony feels. A silicone pad on the back of the device can be pressed against your skin and it uses the Peltier effect for cooling or heating itself up by absorbing/releasing heat. Although you can use it as a handheld device, the correct use is with Sony’s specially designed V-neck undershirt with a slim pocket on the back to keep the device in place between your shoulders. So cool, right?
Reon Pocket Specifications
The Reon Pocket device weighs only 80 grams and hence beyond cooling and warming effects there is no noticeable difference when you wear it in the undershirt, also it doesn’t come out under another clothing layer. That being said, it is difficult to insert the device when you are already wearing the undershirt. It is best to insert the device and then wear an undershirt or it gets better with practice. According to Sony, the wearable device can reduce your body temperature by 13 degrees and in winters, you can use it to elevate your body temperature by 8 degree celsius.
How to use the Reon Pocket app?
The Reon Pocket device can be readily paired with your smartphone via Bluetooth. It is fairly easy to use the mobile app and control temperature settings. It has a basic three model cooling and warming function along with an extra boost mode limited to two minutes which comes with a different speed fan. By default, it will automatically choose your saved mode when you switch on the device. By doing this, you don’t need to worry about using the app every now and then. The run time of the device is around 2-3 hours on full charge and can vary depending on the intensity of your settings.
Reon Pocket Pricing and Availability
The Reon Pocket is available currently only in Japan. The price of the device is 13,000 yen (approximately $122) and the undershirts are roughly $20 each. There are only two undershirt colours available at the moment – white and beige.
Wrapping Up
When you are using the Reon Pocket wearable air conditioner, it will not work exactly like an air conditioner cooling your entire body temperature. This will work more on a surface contact basis, so you will still sweat but there is some relief. We are hoping to see more enhancements for it to be used in a country like India where temperatures can go upto 50 degree celsius in western and central states. If you would like to read about such exciting technology articles, please visit our blog and leave a comment below.
Dhruv Pandya is a Tech Writer and Social Media Marketer at Nimblechapps, a top hybrid app development company based out of India. He writes about new technology, tips relating to new trends, and mobile apps. He likes providing new ideas in order to give out updates about all the latest tech.