Sony keeps you cool on the move with a wearable air conditioner

By Trevor Mogg July 8, 2020

Sony has launched a wearable air conditioner to keep you cool in the summer.

It was about a year ago when we first heard that the company was developing the gadget, called Reon Pocket.

The diminutive device fits inside a pocket on the back of a specially made undershirt and works using a Peltier element usually found in cars and wine coolers. It pairs with an Android and iOS smartphone app that lets you control the temperature in a few quick taps.

During a particularly hot day, it could be just what you need to stop your body melting when you’re out and about. However, with a battery that runs for just 90 minutes, those unsightly sweat patches could start to grow if you stay outside for too long.

And it won’t keep your face cool, either, so you’ll still have to manically flap your hands in the vain hope of creating a breeze to stop yourself from passing out if the temperatures start to rise.

On the plus side, you can also use it in the winter, as the Reon Pocket is able to generate heat, too.

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sony keeps you cool on the move with wearable air conditioner reon 1 — Sony

sony keeps you cool on the move with wearable air conditioner reon 2 — Sony

Currently, the gadget is only selling in Japan, and costs 13,000 yen (about $120), while the specially made undershirt costs 1,800 yen (about $17). The items are available from various online stores, including Sony’s Japanese store. Digital Trends has reached out to Sony to ask if it has plans to make it a global product and we will update this article when we hear back.

The miniature air conditioner is one of a growing number of products to emerge from First Flight, a crowdfunding platform launched by Sony in 2015. The initiative allows Sony employees to work on somewhat quirkier gadgets — like the Reon Pocket — with the most interesting ones put on the company’s crowdfunding site where interested customers can support it for further development.

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Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

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