Industrialist and RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka drew attention on social media by highlighting a Japanese invention called a human fridge. He proposed installing similar stainless-steel cooling booths at street corners in India to help people cope with extreme summer heat. In his post, he described the personal cooling booth that provides relief during high temperatures and recommended its use in public spaces. Social media users responded with various comments. One noted that such a booth in a crowded Mumbai local train would disrupt daily routines. Another suggested people might try to sell drinks inside it. Others joked about long queues followed by someone moving the unit home, questioned its suitability for a large population, predicted it could become a permanent shelter, or pointed out that existing ATM kiosks already offer similar cooling. The device, developed by Japanese vending machine maker SDRS and called the Do Hiemon Box, holds one person and releases cool air at temperatures down to five degrees Celsius. Supplier Trusco Nakayama states it can reduce heat stroke risk within 20 minutes while using half the energy of a typical portable air conditioner. The makers say ten minutes inside lowers body temperature and eases heat exhaustion symptoms. Designed for workers in hot settings such as construction sites, factories, warehouses and outdoor venues, the unit offers three airflow settings, sits on wheels for easy placement indoors or outdoors, stands 1.75 metres tall and turns off automatically after 20 minutes.
