Japan launched a "human refrigerator" to fight the extreme heat. How much does it cost?
An abnormal heatwave in Japan, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, has led one company to offer a creative solution: a "human refrigerator." The Do Hiemon Box maintains an internal temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, allowing users to feel significantly cooler within five minutes.
Japan is experiencing an abnormal heatwave, including many days where temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Following the intense heat, the country even recorded its first official "kokushobi" — a new term in Japanese to describe days with abnormally high temperatures.
One company in Japan has a creative solution for the extreme heat: a "human refrigerator." This booth, called the Do Hiemon Box, is designed for one person and looks like a huge refrigerator, but it was engineered to cool only one thing — the human body.
The booth was developed by the Japanese refrigerator and vending machine manufacturer SDRS and is sold by the industrial equipment supplier Trusco Nakayama. The inspiration for its creation came from beverage cooling machines, which are common throughout Japan.
The price of the basic model is 1.5 million yen (about 9,000 dollars). The product is intended primarily for businesses and organizations rather than private users. However, if summer temperatures in Japan continue to rise, it is possible that we will soon see the human refrigerator become a familiar part of the landscape in public spaces — perhaps one day becoming as common as a Japanese vending machine.
How does it work?
The Do Hiemon Box maintains an internal temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, so it is pleasant and cool inside the moment you enter. Inside the refrigerator, there is a built-in chair, and when you sit on it, air at about 5 degrees is emitted towards the head, neck, shoulders, and back.
The company notes that users can feel significantly cooler within about five minutes, and staying inside for about 10 minutes may help alleviate symptoms of heat exhaustion by rapidly lowering body temperature.
This solution is particularly effective for people working in hot environments such as construction sites, factories, warehouses, and outdoor event venues.
The booth offers three settings for ventilation and cooling intensity, turns off automatically after 20 minutes to prevent overcooling, and consumes about half the electricity used by a typical portable air conditioner. It does not require installation work, can be used both indoors and outdoors, and is mounted on wheels so it can be easily moved to any location needed.
The intense heat is taking a toll on human life in Japan: on Monday, a man was found dead on the street in Niigata Prefecture, and another man passed away in Kanagawa — both apparently due to heatstroke. In addition, on July 15 alone, 8 people were evacuated to hospitals in Tokyo due to heatstroke.
