You Can Wear This Portable Air Conditioner Underneath Your Shirt Collar

Courtesy of Sony

As oppressive temperatures sweep the world this summer, you don’t need to abandon air conditioning once you leave the office. Sony is developing a personal “air conditioner” you can keep in a special pocket to keep you cool during the hot summer months.

The “Reon Pocket” is a wearable air conditioner controlled via a smartphone app. It slips into a pocket beneath the collar on the back of a custom dress shirt and works with the same type of technology that makes refrigerators keep their cool. Wearers can control the temperature on their phones or allow the device to self-adjust to external temperatures.

Sony has answered our prayers and created a "wearable air-conditioner". pic.twitter.com/zCe4VHd66o

— SCMP News (@SCMPNews) July 24, 2019

The device is apparently capable of cooling your body by up to 23 degrees Fahrenheit or heating you up 14 degrees. Sony says the device is “smaller and lighter” than a mobile phone (weighing just under three ounces), making it one of the most portable cooling devices out there.

The Reon Pocket works for 90 minutes after about two hours of charging. Enough to get you from air-conditioned place to air-conditioned place. And it’s also all-seasonal; the device can also work in the winter to heat the wearer.

The device is currently seeking crowdfunding and will likely only be available in Japan for the foreseeable future. It is expected to cost about $130. It seems as good a reason as any to book a shopping trip to Japan to pick up the clothing of the future.