The billion-dollar race to invent a wearable air conditioner

Hello! It's hot. Have you noticed? Extreme heat is becoming the new normal around the world, and cons [Compass] [Presented by]( [ZENDESK]( Hello! It’s hot. Have you noticed? Extreme heat is becoming the new normal around the world, and consumer demand for air-conditioning is rising along with the temperatures. By one count, there will be 4.5 billion air-conditioning units on the planet by 2050—units that, ironically, contribute to climate change. Stepping into the fold are companies like Sony, small startups, and researchers at major universities, all of whom are searching for a way to cool people down without conventional AC. These wearable cooling devices make it possible to stay cool without having to cool down an entire building, but they could help people survive in sweltering outdoor situations too. Unsurprisingly, Sony is targeting Japan, which will host the Summer Olympics in 2020, for its first launch—but other startups are hot on its heels. The race is on to design and ship these emerging devices. [Are they effective enough to catch on?]( [The billion-dollar race to invent a wearable air conditioner]( [The billion-dollar race to invent a wearable air conditioner]( Extreme heat around the world is pushing companies—and researchers—to find new ways to cool down the human body. [www.fastcompany.com]( • [Share]( [Gmail keeps a record of your purchase history in plain sight, and it’s not alone]( [Gmail keeps a record of your purchase history in plain sight, and it’s not alone]( Google’s ambitions for transaction data are on display in the “Purchases” page, which even tracks what its enterprise and education users are buying. [www.fastcompany.com]( • [Share]( A MESSAGE FROM ZENDESK [The best customer experiences are built with Zendesk. Free trial.]( [The best customer experiences are built with Zendesk. Free trial.]( Zendesk was built upon a simple idea: make customer service software that’s easy to use and accessible to everyone. Our products give organizations the flexibility to move quickly, focus on innovation, and scale with their growth. Try it for free. [www.zendesk.com]( • [Share]( [Google has a secret design library. Here are 35 of its best books]( [Google has a secret design library. Here are 35 of its best books]( The company’s industrial design team shares a handful of titles from its studio library, which is curated by team members. [www.fastcompany.com]( • [Share]( [This nontoxic lawn care startup wants to take on Roundup]( [This nontoxic lawn care startup wants to take on Roundup]( Sunday uses fewer toxic ingredients to take care of your lawn and even kills weeds. [www.fastcompany.com]( • [Share]( [What "middle-class" looks like in 4 U.S. cities]( [What "middle-class" looks like in 4 U.S. cities]( Four middle-class families who live on less than $100,000 explain how they try to afford rent, pay for childcare, and save for retirement. [www.fastcompany.com]( • [Share]( [Are these fireproof, hurricane-proof geodesic domes the post-climate change house of the future?]( [Are these fireproof, hurricane-proof geodesic domes the post-climate change house of the future?]( Geoship is touting the bioceramic geodesic dome as the home of the future—and getting help on the rollout from Zappos, which wants to build some near its headquarters to give to the homeless. [www.fastcompany.com]( • [Share]( [There’s a simple way to give 20 million Americans access to parks: Let them use school playgrounds]( [There’s a simple way to give 20 million Americans access to parks: Let them use school playgrounds]( A new program opens school playgrounds to the public when school isn’t in session—and helps make them greener, more hospitable places at the same time. [www.fastcompany.com]( • [Share]( [Disney blames ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ and ‘Stuber’ for earnings miss, will kill new ideas in response]( [Disney blames ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ and ‘Stuber’ for earnings miss, will kill new ideas in response]( CEO Bob Iger declared that Fox is going to be just like Disney now, which is not a good thing if you ever want to be surprised at the movies again. [www.fastcompany.com]( • [Share]( This newsletter was written by [Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan](. The longer format of Compass is taking a vacation this month. Please enjoy our more compact newsletter. We’ll be back to the normal format in September. Did you enjoy this issue? [Fast Company] You can [update your details here](. If you don’t want to receive Compass anymore, [unsubscribe here]( If you were forwarded Compass and like it, [subscribe here]( [View this newsletter online]( Powered by [Revue]( 7 World Trade Center, 29th Floor, New York, NY 10007-2195