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Tech Kobe students develop 'cool bench'

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thomas

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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.



 
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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.

 
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.

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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!

WAIT, the solution has been in front of us all along! Maybe we could turn park benches into blood-cooling stations!
 
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.
 
Maybe next time you go everyone will have personal drones following them and cooling them off with fans and cooling sprays.
 
Maybe next time you go everyone will have personal drones following them and cooling them off with fans and cooling sprays.
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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?
 
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.


 
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