Tech Kobe students develop 'cool bench'

[thomas]

Students at the Kobe City College of Technology have invented a 1.8-metre-long, two-seat bench chilled by thermoelectric elements, a semiconductor device that absorbs or releases heat depending on the direction of electric current, and that is also used in wine fridges. The "Cool Bench" was installed in a plaza in front of JR Sannomiya Station in Kobe's Chuo Ward.

Learning about their project, Hiroshima-based equipment engineering firm Chudenko Corp. and other parties have offered to jointly develop the bench as a commercial product. To do so, they are conducting research on using solar power so that the benches don't need to be plugged in. They are aiming to get the benches onto the market in a few years after working to make it smaller and reduce production costs. A fourth-year student involved in the project commented, "It's like a dream that the bench we came up with is moving toward commercialization."

Hot Kobe residents get chance to chill out on 'Cool Bench' invented by students - The Mainichi

KOBE -- Students here have designed a bench to keep your buns cool in Japan's summer heat, and not only has one been installed in this western Japan c

mainichi.jp

 

[nice gaijin]

wow, I used to use peltiers to do extreme CPU cooling in my old gaming rigs. Using it to cool your buns is way more practical!

 

[mdchachi]

I can't see it being commercially viable beyond a novelty product. If only there was some portable device that doesn't require power to help cool one down.

 

[nice gaijin]

I can't see it being commercially viable beyond a novelty product. If only there was some portable device that doesn't require power to help cool one down.

View attachment 89181

I remember traveling a few years back and seeing a ridiculous number of people wearing personal electric fans around their necks. A wet neckerchief isn't high tech enough I guess.

I do remember some startup somewhere doing wrist-mounted peltier coolers. They looked pretty silly and I don't think anything ever came to market, but looks like you can build your own prototype!

Wrist Cooling System

Wrist Cooling System: Summer is hot. Especially if you are being active outdoors. So to avoid getting overheated, I made a simple thermoelectric cooling unit that attaches to your wrist. This is able to rapidly cool your entire body.You can use this to cool down after a …

www.instructables.com

WAIT, the solution has been in front of us all along! Maybe we could turn park benches into blood-cooling stations!

Needle to change body temperature

Hey everyone its getting hot outside And i mean too hot!!! Did you know we or anyone with a 3d printer can make a needle to drop body temperature Which takes blood from a vein in a tube And the tube goes in ice And a second needle puts the colder blood in a second vein to drop body ten Here's a...

jref.com

 

[Petaris]

I remember traveling a few years back and seeing a ridiculous number of people wearing personal electric fans around their necks. A wet neckerchief isn't high tech enough I guess.

I saw a huge number of those and personal fan sticks (a handle with a little fan on it) during this trip to Japan.

 

[mdchachi]

Maybe next time you go everyone will have personal drones following them and cooling them off with fans and cooling sprays.

 

[Petaris]

Maybe next time you go everyone will have personal drones following them and cooling them off with fans and cooling sprays.
View attachment 89206

Interestingly the Haneda and Itami airports had signs warning that drones were not allowed in most places in Japan and required special permission in the places they were allowed. I wonder if its been a problem or if they are just trying to prevent it from becoming an issue?

 

[thomas]

I wonder if its been a problem or if they are just trying to prevent it from becoming an issue?

I remember two incidents where drones crashed into Himeji Castle just after its grand reopening in 2015.

Businessman claims responsibility for drone crash at Himeji Castle

A businessman admitted Sunday to flying a drone that was found stuck the previous day among the roof tiles of Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site i

www.japantimes.co.jp

Drone crashes into World Heritage-listed Himeji Castle

A drone crashed into World Heritage-listed Himeji Castle on Thursday following a similar incident last year, local government officials said. The small dro

www.japantimes.co.jp