Air-conditioned jacket plays it cool

A Japanese designer has a solution to sweltering summer conditions – a jacket that has its own air-conditioning system.

The battery-powered jacket comes with two small fans sewn into the back and produces a layer of circulating air that enhances sweat evaporation.

All electrical parts of the shirt can be removed to allow for washing, and the shirt can even be powered by plugging it into a computer through a USB cord.

The jacket’s inventor, Hiroshi Ichigaya, does admit to one flaw.

“It’s true the jackets make you look like a Michelin Man but on factory floors people are more worried about being able to do their jobs in comfort,” he says.

As parts of Japan sweat out an uncomfortable summer shackled by restrictions on electricity use, demand has grown for goods that provide guilt-free respite from the unrelenting summer heat.

Perhaps there’s an opportunity for Australian entrepreneurs to meet this demand by coming up with their own guilt-free heat “solutions”.