Overview
- The Do Hiemon Box was publicly shown by SDRS and distributor Trusco Nakayama this week and is being marketed to businesses and public venues for short-term cooling relief.
- The booth measures roughly the size of a vending machine, keeps its interior around 15°C, blows about 5°C air at the head and shoulders, and has an automatic 20-minute shutoff.
- The standard model runs on a 100-volt outlet, uses about 0.51 kWh of power, is advertised to cost roughly 16 yen per hour to operate, and retails for about 1.5 million yen before tax.
- At least one unit was donated to Maebashi City Hall for free public use and companies say users feel noticeably cooler in 5–10 minutes, but those performance and safety claims have not been independently verified.
- Health observers and some commentators warn rapid cooling after heavy heat could cause thermal stress, and experts and officials will need testing and guidance before wide deployment at construction sites, events, or city centers.