Recently, a Japanese company brought to market a rather unusual device: a “refrigerator for humans.” It is simply a cabin that disperses cool air and can accommodate a single person. How does this device operate? Who are the potential customers for this curious product?
A booth to combat heatwave episodes
While heatwaves are increasingly afflicting Europe and North America, Japan is not left behind. It has long declared that heatwaves count as natural disasters, on par with earthquakes and other hurricanes. In July 2026, Japan recorded an unprecedented stretch of five consecutive days above 40°C, resulting in thousands of hospitalizations.
As Dezeen reported in an article dated July 27, 2026, two Japanese companies joined forces to create and bring to market a rather peculiar piece of equipment: the Do Hiemon Box. It is an individual mobile cooling booth, quickly nicknamed the “refrigerator for humans.” The concept, conceived to combat heat waves, comes from the collaboration between TRUSCO Nakayama, a distributor of industrial equipment, and Sanden Retail Systems, a refrigeration specialist.
Practically speaking, the Do Hiemon Box stands a little over two meters tall, is 93.1 cm wide, and houses a single seat. The structure is built from stainless steel with inner insulation made of polystyrene panels to maximize thermal efficiency. It also features a transparent acrylic door equipped with an internal safety push mechanism to prevent any accidental confinement.
Air at 5°C targeting the body’s high-blood-flow zones
In operation, the booth draws on technologies commonly found in Japan’s ubiquitous refrigerated vending machines. The unit targets the body’s high-blood-flow areas to maximize the cooling effect. Maintained at a constant 15°C inside, the system uses ventilation nozzles to project air at 5°C directly toward the head, shoulders, and back of the user. According to the manufacturers, five minutes of exposure is enough to deliver a strong sense of relief, while ten minutes can lower core body temperature to effectively prevent heat-related illnesses.
However, the designers have also considered avoiding thermal shocks and physiological risks that can result from too abrupt a cooling. Therefore, the booth incorporates three cooling modes and adjustable air-flow settings, along with an automatic safety timer capable of cutting or reducing power after twenty minutes of use.
More than a hundred buyers
TRUSCO Nakayama and Sanden Retail Systems stated that the Do Hiemon Box consumes around 0.51 kWh, i.e., about half the energy of a typical mobile industrial air conditioner. Consequently, operating the device costs roughly €0.10 per hour. Additionally, the purchase price sits just over €8,000—a fairly steep price that has nonetheless not deterred interest from roughly 130 Japanese companies. Among the clients are numerous construction sites, factories, and other logistics centers.
Finally, customers appear to have been won over by the presence of lockable multi-directional wheels, enabling installation without any construction or modifications. As global warming continues to increase the frequency of heatwaves around the world, there is little doubt that the Do Hiemon Box is poised for a bright future.
Here is the promotional video for the Do Hiemon Box :
