air conditioner
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Airbitat's Compact Cooler promises 'deeply cooled' energy-efficient AC
You might not think of your air conditioner (AC) as contributing to climate change, but typical AC units use quite a bit of power, which leads to higher greenhouse gas emissions. In a vicious global warming cycle, as the planet gets hotter, more people will turn to air conditioning. So, companies like Airbitat are working on more efficient cooling methods, like the Airbitat Compact Cooler, which just won a CES 2020 Climate Change Innovator Award.
Sony is crowdfunding a wearable 'air conditioner' (updated)
Are you struggling to cope with the heat outdoors? Sony might have a solution, if not as soon as you might like. The company's First Flight program is crowdfunding a wearable 'air conditioner,' the Reon Pocket, that slips into a pouch in a special t-shirt. The stealthy device doesn't condition the air as such. Rather, it sits at the base of your neck and uses the Peltier effect (where heat is absorbed or emitted when you pass an electrical current across a junction) to either lower your temperature by 23F or raise it by 14F, all without bulk or noise. You could wear a stuffy business outfit on a hot day and avoid looking like you've just stepped out of a sauna.
The best portable air conditioner
By Thom Dunn This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide to portable air conditioners. If you don't have central air, and a window AC isn't an option, get the LG LP1419IVSM portable air conditioner—the quietest and most efficient unit we've found after researching over a hundred portable air conditioners and testing more than a dozen. Most portable ACs are pretty similar, but the LG LP1419IVSM delivers better cooling performance than other models, yet it uses less energy, makes less noise, and can dial in a more precise comfort level than other models. The difference is in its dual-rotor, DC-powered compressor, a contrast to the alternating current found on most air conditioners. Rather than running only at max speed or nothing, the LG can operate at a continuously variable speed, so the unit has a lot more flexibility in how it reaches a desired temperature in a wide range of temperature and humidity conditions. The LG had the lowest volume measurements on any machines we tested, and other nice (but not unique or essential) features—like compatibility with Google Home or Amazon Alexa, smartphone control via LG's app, and a remote—give you a lot of options for how to operate it. The Frigidaire Gallery 12,000 BTU Cool Connect Smart Portable (FGPC1244T1) might not be the most powerful or quiet portable AC available but it has a very high energy-efficiency ratio (EER), and—if you can say such a thing about a portable AC—it's the best looking. Taller and more slender than most portable ACs, the Frigidaire takes up less space and moves easily from room to room. It's easier to install in a new window than others, with a unique telescoping panel that installs tool-free. Other small but thoughtful design touches include a cloth covering for the exhaust hose and a magnetic holder for the remote. Like the LG, it has smart-home capabilities. The Honeywell HL14CES doesn't boast impressive new technology like the LG or unique design features like Frigidaire—it's just a really solid portable AC. Without being remarkable, its performance is completely satisfying: quiet enough, powerful enough, and easy enough to set up and use. If you'd prefer a basic portable air conditioner without the bells and whistles of the LG or the Frigidaire, or if you find this model at a good price, we have no reason to discourage you from it. The popular, affordable Black+Decker BPACT14WT delivers where it counts—cooling performance—better than anything else in its price range. But it's a little rough around the edges compared with our other picks: its operation is louder, its controls are clunkier, and it lacks the nice details we liked about some other models. But still, it gets the job done and is a fine choice if you need a portable AC at something closer to a window AC price.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: fly like a bird, bend batteries in half, and spray clothing from a can
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week saw several amazing feats of aeronautics as we showcased the world's first continuous flight of a human-powered ornithopter and the sun-powered Solar Impulse plane embarked upon an incredible voyage across Switzerland. We also watched transportation take off as BMW unveiled a zippy new electric scooter, Sanitov launched a GPS enabled cargo tricycle in London, and this week's Green Overdrive show took us off-roading on a souped-up e-bike! Renewable energy tech also energized the globe as several countries in Central America launched plans to tap volcanoes for power and China developed the world's first directly solar-powered air conditioning unit. Energy storage also got a big boost as Stanford researchers unveiled a new type of bendable battery made out of paper - just the thing to power the flexible e-readers of the future. In other news, this week we brought you exclusive coverage of the greatest green designs from this year's London Design Festival and we showcased the latest in wearable tech - instant spray-on clothing in a can! Finally, we tackled an issue that has plagued tech junkies forever - those impossible-to-open clamshell plastic packages.
Nissan's Forest AC air conditioner will megadose on Vitamin C, moisturize your skin
Believe it or not, grapeseed polyphenol filters and plasmacluster ions aren't just off-the-shelf snake oil plug-ins for your auto's 12V socket -- they're par for the course in Nissan's Fuga hybrid. So when the Japanese automaker says its future cars will pump Vitamin C into the air to help hydrate human flesh, well -- we take the company at its word. Also on the docket: chairs with seat warmers and folding leg rests, and speedometers that will happily remind you of your impending wedding anniversary as you barrel down the highway. "We want drivers to feel that they are healthier staying in the car instead of on the outside," a Nissan engineer told AFP. We think that says it all, folks.
Researchers develop air conditioning that's 90 percent more efficient, bone chilling
Everybody loves maxing out in the sweet chill of their air conditioning in the hot summer months, but it's inefficient, expensive, and extremely unfriendly to the environment. The good news today, however, is that researchers have developed an air conditioning system that could be up to 90 percent more efficient than standard setups. How so, you ask? The new tech, called DEVap, uses liquid desiccants to make dry air using heat and evaporative coolers take dry air and make cold air, making it far easier to cool already dry climates. Additionally, DEVap uses salt solutions in place of environmentally naughty refrigerants, CFCs, and HCFCs -- the main contributors to global warming. The tech is still in the lab, so until then you'll just have to keep fanning yourself off (or having your friend do that for you).
LG's Feeney robot mascot sells air conditioners... with style
LG's new robot mascot has already been out and about for a little while, but it now finally has a name thanks to a recent contest -- "Feeney" -- and a whole new lease on life. Not content to simply be an average air conditioner spokesbot, Feeney has taken the job to new, CGI-enhanced heights, and shown that even Olympic dreams can come true, with the help of a Whisen air conditioner. But don't take our word for it. See Feeney work his magic after the break.
Grad student bolts air-conditioner onto car to beat Texas heat
Trust us, Texas isn't the only place on the verge of melting right now, but this solution to solving one's automotive AC problems is the perfect marriage of tawdry and frugal. As you can clearly see in the photo above, a University of Houston graduate student opted to retrofit a home air-conditioner into his vehicle rather than coughing up $1,200 to have it repaired the right way, and while we've no idea how much he spent on the unit itself, the wiring, or the additional gas thanks to the added drag, we have a sneaking suspicion that this mod was about more than dollars and cents. Click on through for a few more photos, but please refrain from trying this on your own ride, cool?[Via Wired]
Perspiring man electrocuted by his PC
A 20-year old student in Shanghai's Yangpu District perished after being "electrocuted by his computer." Reportedly, the man removed the external case from his desktop to prevent it from overheating in the non-air conditioned room, and when his legs came into contact with the innards, the resulting shock left him deceased. Initial investigations by local police confirmed that he was indeed electrocuted, yet there was no reason given as to why the individual refused to switch on the cooling system.[Via The Raw Feed]
Air conditioners kill hard drives?
We already knew that we had to sacrifice our precious holiday decorations in order to get maximum bandwidth and coverage from our WiFi routers, and now it looks like we may have to sweat out the summer months sans air conditioning if an anecdotal, single-source article in Associated Content proves accurate. According to sole interviewee Ben Carmichel of ESS Data Recovery, his company sees "a 20% increase in failed hard drives hitting our lab in the summer as [opposed to] the winter," and believes from surveying customers and the uptick in electronic-related issues that AC-triggered power surges are largely to blame. Of course, this alleged risk is easy enough to minimize by utilizing an uniterrupted power source for your PC and configuring your drives in a RAID 1 or 5, so it doesn't seem too difficult to have your cake and eat it too in this case. Or you could set up shop in Siberia and just avoid this nonsense altogether. [Via The Inquirer, thanks John K.]
Mitsubishi's people-sensing air conditioners
Mitsubishi's out to make your rooms cooler and slightly creepier with its new air conditioner units, packing an all-seeing infrared eye that'll adjust the temperature based on people's locations in the room. Seven models in the company's new ZW series will come equipped with the technology, which divides the room up into a number of sections to scan for humans, directing the air-flow appropriately and switching to economic mode to conserve power when it's left all by its lonesome. What's more, the AC can apparently even analyze a person's or family's seating habits over a couple of weeks which, for some of us, shouldn't be too hard to determine. No word on prices for any of the units yet, but they should start collecting aggregate data about your in-home lifestyle in Japan by mid December.[Via Far East Gizmos]
