Japan’s human refrigerator

Japanese refrigeration and vending machine manufacturer SDRS has developed a one-person cooling booth called the Do Hiemon Box.

It looks like a large refrigerator or vending machine, but is in fact designed for human use. The industrial equipment supplier Trusco Nakayama is selling the units, which are priced at USD $9,300 (approximately AU $12,885).

The units have been on sale since April 2026, and are built for people who might be working in extreme heat conditions. It’s also aimed at venues or work environments such as construction sites, factories, warehouses, and outdoor festivals.

The Do Hiemon Box works by providing short thermal resets for users. It maintains an interior temperature of 15°C, but blasts air that’s chilled to 5°C at your head, neck, shoulders, and back (the body’s fastest heat-shedding zones).

People are advised to use the fridge for 10–15 minutes, although it will switch off automatically after 20 minutes to prevent over-cooling.

It might be a pricey investment, but as Gadget Review reported, “micro-environment cooling pods that replace whole-room AC for single users make genuine sense as part of a broader infrastructure response”.

Feature image courtesy of TRUSCO.

---