We have no idea how effective it will work in face of blistering summer heats, but if it really manages to bring the temperature down by even a few notches within your immediate vicinity, then the Evapolar might definitely prove to be a great value. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be able to cool down on hot summers without having to turn on the air-conditioning all day?
Described as a “personal air-conditioner,” it’s a tabletop-sized box that cools down the surrounding air using evaporative air cooling. To the unfamiliar, it’s a process of cooling the air by passing it through a wet cooling pad, which allows the water to absorb some of the heat as it evaporates, so that the air now has a lower temperature upon exit. It’s a proven technology (many open-air establishments use them to cool down the space), although, we have no idea how effective it can really be at this size.
Evapolar is a cube measuring 16 cm on all sides that can hold enough water to actively cool the air for a period of six to eight hours. It uses an evaporative nanomaterial based on mineral fibers that can absorb huge amounts of water as its cooling pad, which is how they were able to shrink the tech to such a compact size. Plus, since it’s intended for tabletop use, you can place it in very close proximity, so even if it only cools a minimal coverage area, you can still feel the maximum benefits of its cooling effects.
Do note, the evaporative nanomaterial, which is housed inside a removable cartridge, will need to be replaced every 8 to 12 months, so this has a small amount of maintenance involved. On the plus side, there’s no need to clean or wash anything, so as long as you keep up an annual cartridge swap, this should work without adding anything to your already busy life.
An Indiegogo campaign is currently running for Evapolar. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at $149.