This summer, soaring temperatures around the world offered a stark reminder of the effects of climate change. And if you don’t have air conditioning or a pool to cool off in, there’s very little opportunity to escape from the heat. In Japan, a brand known as Trusco came up with a surreal idea for helping people cool down. They designed a walk-in, human-sized fridge called Do Hiemon Box (which translates to The Cooling Box) that invites people to step inside for a moment and enjoy the chilly 15°C (59°F) space.
Japan has a word for those unbearable days when temperatures reach past 40°C (around 104°F)—kokushobi. It literally translates to “cruelly hot day,” which pretty much sums up the reality of existing and working in the brutal heat. The Do Hiemon Box is designed for people who work outside, and has been used in more than 130 factories, warehouses, and construction sites since April 2026. The company even donated one to Maebashi City, where the public can use it for free.
Trusco claims that the Do Hiemon Box can ease the symptoms of heat exhaustion faster than air conditioning or a fan. When you step inside, you sit on a chair while 5°C (41°F) air blows across your head, neck, shoulders, and back. Within five minutes you should already feel relief, and at around 10 minutes your core temperature comes down. The 2.1-meter-high (7-foot-high) stainless-steel container stays at around 15°C (59°F), and then shuts off after 20 minutes so nobody overcools.
At a price of ¥1.5 million (around $9,700), the Do Hiemon Box doesn’t come cheap. However, it costs just $0.0947 an hour to run—roughly a third of the cost of running a toaster. It’s strange to think that solutions like this might become commonplace in cities and work places around the world as our planet heats up.
Find out more about Do Hiemon Box in the videos below.
Japan-based brand Trusco designed a human-sized fridge called Do Hiemon Box (translated as The Cooling Box) that invites people to cool down during days of extreme heat.
It’s designed for people who work outside, and has been used in more than 130 factories, warehouses, and construction sites in Japan since April 2026.
Trusco: Website | Instagram | YouTube
Source: This Human Refrigerator Is a Scary Answer to a Rapidly Heating Planet
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