Life News

Japan's 'human fridge': a 15C booth that chills you in minutes, but at a 1.5m-yen price

A one-person cooling booth nicknamed the "human fridge" has gone on sale in Japan as the country swelters. The Do Hiemon Box, developed by the refrigeration and vending machine maker SDRS and sold by the industrial supplier Trusco Nakayama, keeps its interior at 15C and blows air at about 5C onto the user's head, neck, shoulders and back.

SoraNews24 reported that users feel cooler within about five minutes and that around 10 minutes may help ease heat exhaustion symptoms. The booth has three airflow settings, switches off after 20 minutes and uses about half the electricity of a spot air conditioner. It is aimed at construction sites, factories, warehouses and event venues, and one unit at Maebashi City Hall is free for visitors.

ThePrint placed it against Japan's heat: more than 450 people were treated in Tokyo hospitals for heat-related illness on 22 July, reportedly the highest single-day count in 16 years of records. The Guardian noted that Japan had just logged its first "cruelly hot" day of the year, above 40C, and joked that the budget option is still hiding between the milk trolleys at the supermarket.

How each outlet framed it

• SoraNews24 — the product: how it works, who should use it and where to find one.
• ThePrint — the context: record heatstroke cases and a new word for 40C days.
• The Guardian — a sceptical, light take: clever, but a big investment.

Where the numbers differ: The price is 1.5m yen before tax, but conversions vary: about £6,900 in The Guardian, $9,326 in SoraNews24 and about $10,350 in ThePrint. The Guardian also says it chills you completely in 10 minutes, while SoraNews24 says you feel cooler in about five.