It's summertime and it's definitely getting warmer outside. For those who regularly head out and work outdoors or take public transportation, you won't need to feel that hot much longer. After much waiting, consumers can finally get their hands on Sony's Reon Pocket, a personal wearable air conditioner.
But it's not what you think. It's not a wearable built-in airconditioned t-shirt, but a wearable device that can set the temperature according to the individual wearing it.
Sony's Wearable Air Conditioner can cool you down
The device doesn't only act as an air conditioner, but also as a heater by attaching the main body to the pocket on the neck of the dedicated innerwear and operating it with an app according to its product description found on the Sony website.
In an article from Interesting Engineering, the device can reportedly cool the wearer's body by 13 degrees Celsius or raise body temperature by roughly 8 degrees Celsius. It can be adjusted using your smartphone since it's Bluetooth compatible.
Since the Reon Pocket is just about the size of a wallet, you can slip into a special undershirt with a dedicated pocket with ease. The device itself is a Bluetooth device roughly the size of a card-holding wallet, and it slips into a special undershirt with a feature pocket at the base of the neck.
You can check out the product trailer here:
The internal battery should last around 2 to 4 hours before having to recharge it again for another 2 hours. The Reon Pocket weighs just 85 grams and uses a USB-C port. It's also iOS compatible.
Battery and Pricing
If you buy it at Sony Japan's online store, it would cost around $120. However, the price would also vary in the Japanese stores selling the product. For instance, if you buy it at Amazon Japan, it would cost $160. The special t-shirts run for $20 each.
KnowTechie advises users that the device cannot save you from heatstroke as it is really intended to make you feel more comfortable while you're out there in the heat.
Manual and Auto Mode
There are 2 modes in which you can use the Reon Pocket. First is the manual mode where you have to adjust the temperature on your own.
In the Automatic Mode, the device contains multiple sensors mounted on the main unit sense the temperature and behavior (i.e. stationary or walking) of the interior and cold parts of the main unit and automatically adjusts them to the appropriate temperature level as noted by the developer homepage.
For behavioral detection, they use proprietary motion-sensing technology developed at Sony's R&D center. This technology detects the wearer's walking motion in real-time, allowing proper temperature control.
