Sony has announced the Reon Pocket, a small cooling device that you can wear like a portable air conditioner. It’s currently live on Sony’s crowdfunding website, where prices start at ¥12,760 (about $117). As well as cooling you during hot days, the device, which slots into the back pocket of a specially designed T-shirt, can also warm you up during the winter.
The Reon Pocket works using the “Peltier effect,” which involves using a small electrical current to allow it to either absorb or give out heat. You control it using its companion app, although Gizmodo notes that there are plans to introduce an automatic mode in the future. Sony says the device is capable of cooling you by 13 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit), or heating you by 8 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit), and that you should get 24 hours of usage out of a single charge via USB Type-C.
Sony isn’t the first company to have attempted making a wearable personal thermostat. However, the advantage of the Reon Pocket is its size, which Sony’s promotional video suggests will allow it to fit surreptitiously underneath a regular business shirt.
By Jon Porter