SINGAPORE – Can technology save people from Singapore’s unrelenting heat?

Sony’s futuristic wearable cooling device, popular in Japan, is available for sale here for the first time. But budget options – a fan and a bottle of ice – are also vying with the $249 Sony Reon Pocket 5 for attention.

The Reon Pocket 5, expected to be in stores in mid-May, adds to a growing line of gadgets on sale online and in supermarkets – including neck pillow-shaped air-conditioners as well as ice packs, portable fans and cooling vests.

The Straits Times puts bottles of ice-cold water, a roughly $10 portable fan and the Sony gadget to the test by taking each item out for a 1km walk in the afternoon sun.

Sony Reon Pocket 5

The device, which looks like an Apple Magic Mouse strapped to a headband, is compact and unassuming – a step up from the bulky air purifiers or fans that come in the shape of neck pillows or terrifying face masks you would expect to find in a Marvel superhero flick.

The Reon Pocket’s plate can be set to one of multiple cooling or warming levels via an Android or iOS mobile app that acts as its controller. In the package is a small tag to be worn on the collar to help the thermo unit determine a suitable temperature.

In cooling mode, the plate quickly becomes cold to the touch to help lower the body temperature – a similar technology used by local start-up Silent Cicada in its line of “air-conditioner” watches, which use a cooling plate placed on the wrist to reduce blood flow temperature.

A fan draws hot air away from the wearer’s body and propels it out of a detachable vent that sticks out of the top of your shirt.

While it provided a refreshing coolness on my back, the small metal patch could not prevent me from perspiring uncomfortably after several minutes in the heat, not dissimilar to walks I take in the sun without the device.

The Reon Pocket’s cooling features are most effective away from direct sunlight in a stuffy MRT train during rush hour or while working at home without the air-conditioner on.

Associate Professor Jason Lee from the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine said such devices are unlikely to stand up to the heat here.

“My money would not be on its use for the Singapore outdoor heat,” added Prof Lee, who is the centre director of the school’s Heat Resilience and Performance Centre, which studies the effects of heat on people.

“Conducting coolness on a small region (like a small patch on the back) is not effective in cooling. It is probably good for an air-conditioned indoor environment when you can turn up the thermostat and don this to maintain comfort.”

And when it got chilly in the office, the Reon Pocket’s heating option generated a comfortable warmth on my back that was just enough to keep me from putting on a jacket. As the device is worn beneath clothing, it traps heat, slowly distributing it along your back, raising the body’s temperature. While I am unable to test the device’s heating abilities outdoors in a cold climate, it appears to work well indoors.

Putting the device on smart mode via the app allows it to automatically adjust the plate’s temperature by sensing the temperature and humidity of its surroundings through the tag and from the inside of my clothes. Doing so also conserves battery life which, in my experience, can last at least five hours of constant use.

$10 portable fan

For all its technology, the Reon Pocket 5 faces stiff competition from tried-and-true household staples – a traditional fan and bottles of cold water.

Under the afternoon sun, the pocket fan kept me from sweating when pushed to its top speed. But the fan can be cumbersome as I had to prop it up and often swivelled it around. Wind generated by its blades covered a limited surface area, but enough to cool my face.

I found the $10 fan to be more effective than the $249 Neon Pocket.

That is no surprise, said Prof Lee, as the wind from fans covers a wider surface area and helps sweat to evaporate faster, which in turn cools the user.

$1 bottle of ice-cold mineral water

The two icy bottles, which cost less than $1 each at the SPH Media canteen, exceeded expectations. I was sufficiently cooled during my afternoon walk. They even dispense icy cold water – the perfect thirst-quencher – once the ice has melted.

They are, by far, the coldest items on the list – so cold that they become uncomfortable to hold for an extended period. Their intense chill can cause any part of the body to tense up upon contact.

Also, the user experience is marred by condensation, which formed rapidly on the outside of the bottle, leaving water patches on my shirt and a trail of water behind me.

Conclusion

The Reon Pocket’s earlier iterations have been a hit in Japan, selling 10,000 units in three days of its launch in 2023, but I feel that it may have met its match in Singapore’s heat. It is unable to sufficiently cool users in the sun; its effectiveness is limited mostly to indoor and sheltered conditions, although this, too, will vary for many people.

In short, you will need to manage expectations. While the Reon Pocket 5 might not be the solution for content creators battling shoots in the outdoor heat, as Sony suggests, it can definitely bring a touch of warmth to your “freezing” office environment and make your stuffy daily commute more comfortable.