When MIT mechanical engineering Professor Kripa Varanasi landed in New Delhi in June 2024, he experienced a scorching 104°F heat. He noted, “This was not the case when I grew up in India,” which inspired him to develop a wearable personal cooling system with seed funding from the MIT Climate Project as part of a Critical Cooling initiative that awarded $450,000 in total.
Another researcher, Yet-Ming Chiang, explored the potential of subsurface wells with heat-absorbing materials to provide cool air with less energy consumption, targeting small apartments and single-family homes in India and the Global South. Meanwhile, Asegun Henry focused on an alternative air conditioning method using a cheap solid “caloric” material—rubber—and plain water as an efficient heat transfer fluid to enhance energy efficiency and eliminate potent greenhouse gases.
Gang Chen addressed the expensive and energy-hungry nature of existing air conditioning units by proposing a completely different chemical refrigerant with no greenhouse impact. Christoph Reinhart led the seed fund effort, emphasizing that “critical cooling” aims to mitigate heat fatalities caused by climate change, especially among vulnerable populations.
The initial prototypes from these projects showed promise, particularly as only about 8% of the global population currently has access to air conditioning, with demands set to triple or quadruple in the coming years. Varanasi’s wearable device, inspired by how elephants dissipate heat, consumes only about 33 watts compared to the 1,000 watts typical room AC units require, with production costs potentially under $1.
His proof of concept utilized a simulated foot to measure cooling effects, demonstrating viability. The same materials could also be applied to other products, like sleeping bags with built-in cooling. Varanasi highlighted that successful innovations need to be commercially sustainable to thrive.
“There is growing urgency regarding heat stress,” Frey concluded.
Blogger's Review: These innovative projects not only showcase MIT's forward-thinking approach to climate change but also offer practical solutions to the global challenge of extreme heat. The low energy consumption of personal cooling devices opens new pathways for sustainable development, with significant commercialization potential worth monitoring.