Summer 2020. Sunshine with a chance of innovation!
The heatwave continues, and while we may not be able to do anything about the weather this year, the forecast for the summer of 2020 is looking great.
Sony is crowdfunding a portable, wearable air conditioner so you can forget about those sweaty selfies and look like you just returned from the Alps. Talk about IoT and wearable taking over the future, this gadget promises to keep you cool in summer and warm in winters.
The Reon Pocket is a card-sized Bluetooth device that makes use of thermoelectric cooling. The way it works is you slide it into an undershirt with a special pocket, connect to an app, click a button, and prepare for the weather of your choice.
Image courtesy of FirstPost
According to Sony’s product site, it has conducted hundreds of tests. On hot days, the Reon Pocket can cool a user’s body temperature by 13 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit). On cold days, it can raise the temperature by about 8 degrees Celsius (about 14 degrees Fahrenheit).
The Reon Pocket will support iOS and Android devices. The battery capacity of 24 hours is impressive, too, so you can spend the entire day feeling cool. If you do need to charge, it will take about two hours with a USB-C. It is light and weighs just 85 grams. There are two models expected. The company will be launching two variants for the device: Reon Pocket Standard and Reon Pocket Lite. The Sony Reon Pocket is priced at 14,080 yen (approx $130) for one device and one special undershirt, the advanced Reon Pocket with five undershirts is priced at 19,030 yen (approx $175).
The device isn’t up for sale yet. Reon Pocket will have to be crowdfunded first, and if it makes its goal, Sony will start shipping by March 2020. So the future as far as we can predict is looking good and in the summer of 2020, we are expecting a lot of sunshine with a chance of innovation!