Hard Numbers

Japan’s outside-the-icebox way to stay cool

Will Fitzpatrick

A Japanese company has come up with a novel way to beat the heat: a human-sized refrigerator. The “Do Hiemon” personal cooling booth blasts users with cold air and claims it can lower body temperature in just minutes. The product comes as Japan endures another punishing summer marked by temperatures over 104 degrees and a surge in heat-related illnesses. In the past two months alone, more than 53,000 people have been treated for heatstroke, and 79 have died from heat-related causes.

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