TECH

Japan's answer to deadly heat waves is a human refrigerator

Japan's Do Hiemon Box is a new walk-in personal cooling booth that maintains an interior temperature of 15°C, with 5°C airflow directed at the head and neck. Priced at ¥1.5 million (~$9,230), it's now on sale for businesses across Japan.

A Japanese company has developed what it calls a human refrigerator — a walk-in personal cooling booth that chills the body in minutes and is already showing up in public spaces across Japan.

Called the "Do Hiemon Box", the product was developed by SDRS, a Japanese refrigeration and vending machine manufacturer, and is distributed by industrial equipment supplier Trusco Nakayama. The design is directly inspired by Japan's ubiquitous vending machines. The refrigeration booth is roughly the same shape and footprint as a standard unit, standing 2,029 mm tall and 931 mm wide, and weighing 293 kg. It runs on wheels, requires no installation, and can be deployed indoors or outdoors.

Mechanics-wise, the booth manages to maintain an interior ambient temperature of 15°C. Once seated on the built-in chair, chilled air at around 5°C is directed toward the user's head, neck, shoulders, and back simultaneously. The company says users feel much cooler within five minutes only, and that ten minutes inside may help relieve symptoms of heat exhaustion by rapidly lowering body temperature. Three airflow and cooling settings are available, and the unit shuts off automatically after 20 minutes to prevent overcooling. Power consumption is roughly half that of a typical spot air conditioner.

The Do Hiemon Box went on sale in April at ¥1.5 million (approximately $9,230) plus tax. Businesses and organizations should benefit greatly from this, instead of individual buyers. One unit has already been donated to Maebashi City Hall in Gunma Prefecture.

The booth releases air at approximately 5°C...Developed by Trusco Nakayama, the "Do Hiemon Box" is based on the structure of a frozen food vending machine.

Upon entering and sitting in the booth, the user receives a stream of air at approximately 5°C directed at their head and the back of their neck. The unit features three temperature and airflow settings and shuts off automatically after 20 minutes to prevent over-cooling.

In a test featured in the report, a journalist ran for five minutes in an outdoor temperature of around 36°C. After entering the booth, their measured surface body temperature reportedly dropped from approximately 35°C to 15.3°C in about four minutes.

Designed for both indoor and outdoor use, the unit operates on a standard 100-volt power outlet and is equipped with wheels for easy mobility.

Launched on April 1, 2026, the product had already been adopted by approximately 130 companies—primarily factories and workplaces with high-heat environments—according to the report.

Since June 2025, companies with employees working in conditions that pose a risk of heatstroke have been required to establish communication methods and emergency procedures to prevent such cases from worsening.

The timing also makes sense. Japan recently introduced new official terminology for days when temperatures exceed 40°C, and on July 15 alone, 48 people were taken to hospital for heatstroke in Tokyo.

 

mundophone