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©2019-2025 Je Hyun Kim
The Vicious Cycle
Keeping people cool is warming up the planet.
Cooling solutions consume more energy than we realize—accounting for 10% of global electricity use. Inefficient airflow, user behavior, and complex designs lead to wasted energy, creating a cycle where our efforts to stay cool end up heating the planet.
Personal Cooling
Cooling solutions consume more energy than we realize—accounting for 10% of global electricity use. Inefficient airflow, user behavior, and complex designs lead to wasted energy, creating a cycle where our efforts to stay cool end up heating the planet.
The Vortex Airflow
We used vortex airflow - a type of airflow known for its accuracy, long reach, and power - making it ideal for cooling at a personal level.
with 1 watt of power
In collaboration with Dr Majid Taghavi, we utilised an Electro-ribbon actuator to generate vortex aitflow. Through experimenting with various forms, we achieved creating airflow with just one watt of power, replacing current energy-intensive motors and cutting down on carbon emissions.
The future of cooling
We introduce the first personal cooling device, offering a new experience to cool individuals using precise, efficient-efficient airflow. With this approach, the future of cooling is efficient, accessible, and low-energy.
Process
We iterated to make the most of vortex airflow’s unique properties - 3D printing forms, testing speakers and ribbon actuators for energy efficient flow, and exploring coils and silica gel for cooling.
Featured
2022 Imperial College Spring Show
Awards
2022 Gold IDEA Award
Project Type:
Duration:
Category:
Role:
Academic Group Project (Team of four)
Sep 2021 - March 2022 (6-months)
Soft robotics, Industrial design
Ideation, User research, UX
