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Move over, Apple Watch, Samsung Gear, and Fitbit. There’s a new wearable on the way, and it’s designed to do something very different than tell time, make calls, or track steps. It’s called the Aircon Watch, and the designers behind the technology claim that the climate control technology in the watch can send pulses of temperature that will instantly cool down or warm up the user. “Imagine running your hands through a stream of icy or warm water,” a voice in the video that accompanies the Hong Kong–based company’s Kickstarter page says. “This is the feeling that you will get from Aircon Watch.”
Apparently, plenty of people like the idea of putting their hands in streams of water. The idea has collected more than 1,000 backers and exceeded its initial funding goal. On the surface, the idea might seem ridiculous. Can we actually make our minds believe that we are warmer or colder? Science says yes. For proof, this YouTube video offers a glimpse into the research and development process.
Your attendees probably won’t be arriving with the Aircon technology soon. While the company expects to begin shipping watches by the end of the year, temperature control may not be enough to motivate the average consumer to add another device to his or her collection of personal gadgets that are either carried or worn. However, the technology seems promising — it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine a larger manufacturer wanting to acquire the ability to include a temperature adjustment as one of the features in their devices. For event organizers, that could mean the end of the most-common attendee complaint — “It is so cold in this session room!”
Now, if only a start-up could develop a wearable that automatically tells users what ingredients went into the meals at lunch, the industry could be on the way toward solving catering challenges, too.