☀️ Erasing summer, just around your face. A future heat solution called the "Personal Climate Ring"
On a summer night, you turn on the air conditioner at home.
First, you set it to "Cooling".
But somehow, it still feels hot.
So, you try switching it to "Dehumidify".
Then, something strange happens.
Even though the temperature display hasn't changed much,
it feels somewhat cooler.
The air feels lighter.
The stickiness on your skin decreases.
Your sweat dries up.
Comfort is not determined by temperature alone.
What is truly troublesome about a Japanese summer is
not just the heat of the sun,
but the moisture in the air.
💧 The true nature of the heat is "inescapable sweat"
Temperature: 35°C.
Humidity: 80%.
In a Japanese summer, the air holds a massive amount of moisture.
The human body releases heat by evaporating sweat.
But when the humidity is high,
Sweat doesn't dry.
↓
Body heat doesn't escape.
↓
You feel hotter even at the same temperature.
In other words, the battle against the Japanese summer is
not just a
"battle to lower the temperature."
It is also a battle of how to manage moisture.
It is also that.
🌿 Can we create a "small weather" just for humans?
Current heat management products include
fan-equipped clothing,
neck coolers,
cooling towels,
and so on.
They are all wonderful inventions.
But the basic concept is
"cooling the body"
itself.
So, let's consider the next idea.
Instead of just cooling,
could we perhaps condition the air around us itself?
Wouldn't that be possible?
💍 Personal Climate Ring
A summer gadget of the future.
That is,
the "Personal Climate Ring".
It is.
A ring-shaped device worn around the neck.
It's not just cold.
This is,
a tool that creates a comfortable climate just within 30cm of your face.
It is.
🌬️ Creating a "clear sky" around your face
The mechanism is as follows.
It takes in outside air.
↓
It moves the air with a small fan.
↓
Adjust the humidity just a little as needed.
↓
Send a breeze around your face.
Then,
just around your face,
you can step away from the "muggy Japanese summer" for a moment.
It's as if,
you are carrying around a small patch of shade all to yourself.
💨 What's important is "drying" rather than "cooling"
The reason a fan feels good on a hot day.
It's not just because the breeze is lowering your body temperature.
It's because it helps your sweat evaporate.
Sweat,
takes heat away from your body when it evaporates.
However, when the humidity is high,
you end up in a state where
"you're sweating but not feeling cool."
That is why the future of heat management,
is not just about powerful cooling,
but creating an environment where sweat can do its job
It might be heading in that direction.
🌙 When you return home, the ring recovers itself
In an even more futuristic version,
When you get home, you place it on a dedicated stand.
Then,
charging begins.
↓
The internal moisture is dried out.
↓
The filter is refreshed.
↓
By the next morning,
it is ready to be used again.
In other words,
during the day, it makes humans comfortable.
At night, it recovers itself.
"Creating tomorrow's weather during the night"
It is that kind of tool.
🏠 From air conditioning to "human air conditioning"
Until now, the basis of comfort has been,
It used to be about cooling the room.
Cooling the whole house.
Cooling the inside of a car.
Cooling a building.
But, when you think about it,
the places where people are are limited.
The future might move in the direction of:
comfortable only where you are sitting
comfortable only where you are walking
comfortable only around the person
as a direction.
🌏 A portable climate
Long ago, humans invented umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain.
They invented clothes to protect themselves from the cold.
They invented parasols to protect themselves from the sun.
And the future.
Humans might possess tools
to protect themselves from the air itself.
An umbrella to block the rain.
A parasol to block the sun.
And,
A 'climate umbrella' that blocks humidity.
☀️ Not erasing summer, but creating a comfortable space within it
Lowering the temperature of an entire city is difficult.
Changing the humidity of all of Japan is also difficult.
But,
perhaps we can change the 30cm around a person.
Just around your face,
a little cooler.
a little drier.
a little more comfortable.
Future heat countermeasures,
rather than fighting summer,
might be about carrying a small spring within the summer.
Perhaps.
Someday, people walking through the city,
instead of 'enduring the hot days',
might each be walking while wrapped in their own personal comfortable air.