Those who always have trouble beating the heat may have felt their heart skip a beat when they read the headline. Sony is crowd-funding a wearable air conditioner through its First Flight program. The good news is that Sony’s wearable air conditioner has reached full funding, so it’s in development, but the bad news is that it won’t be available for quite some time.
Multiple tech blogs have written about Sony’s wearable air conditioner, which is called the Reon Pocket. It’s a small device that fits into a pocket in the back of a t-shirt. It not only keeps the wearer cool in the summer but also provides heat in the winter, so it works for both seasonal extremes. The device can heat up to 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) and cool down to 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit).
Because it fits into the back pocket of a t-shirt, Sony’s wearable air conditioner can be worn discretely underneath business attire. The device is operated via a smartphone app and connects to devices via Bluetooth. It’s very small and weighs only about 80 grams. It isn’t waterproof, but it can withstand sweat or moisture when placed against the skin.
Unfortunately, the device isn’t expected to ship until March 2020, and then only in Japan. In fact, the Reon Pocket could be a popular item during the 2020 Summer Olympics, which are slated to be held in Tokyo. It’s unclear if or when it might become available to consumers in other countries, but it wouldn’t be surprising if demand became high in the U.S., especially given the number of women I see wearing battery-operated fans around their necks during the summer.
You can read more about the product on the crowd-funding page here. Although the video is in Japanese, you can view more images of Sony’s wearable air conditioner via the YouTube video: