Daito Kentaku and Showa Shokai Confirm Efficacy of 'Peltier-Equipped Fan Cooling Vest' for Heat Management

Daito Kentaku Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kei Takeuchi) and Showa Shokai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture; President: Shudai Sano) have confirmed the effectiveness of the 'Peltier-Equipped Fan Cooling Vest' they co-developed, which Daito Kentaku currently provides to its construction and supervisory staff.

The verification experiment was jointly conducted by Professors Takayuki Ishiwata and Nobuhiro Yasumatsu of the Faculty of Sport and Wellness at Rikkyo University, and Professor Hideto Tanaka of the Faculty of Humanities at Matsuyama University (Professor Emeritus at Yokohama National University). The research demonstrated that combining 'evaporative heat from fans' with 'direct cooling from Peltier elements' effectively suppresses the rise in skin temperature, reduces subjective physical burden, and helps maintain cognitive function.

Daito Kentaku will leverage the data obtained from this development and verification process to further promote environmental improvements for harsh summer construction sites. Meanwhile, Showa Shokai aims to use these findings to further improve product performance and promote practical applications.

* The vest is a fan-equipped work garment featuring a cooling plate with an embedded Peltier element, powered by a mobile battery. The cooling plate can be attached to either the neck or underarms, achieving a cooling surface approximately 20°C lower than the ambient temperature.

[Overview and Results of Field Tests] The test measured physiological and psychological responses while wearing the product during light exercise in a hot environment of 32°C (WBGT 28°C). While conventional fan-equipped clothing relies on evaporative heat from intake air—often limiting effectiveness in high heat—this product uses 'Peltier elements' for direct cooling. This not only cools the contact area but also suppressed the skin temperature rise in the non-contact upper arm area by approximately 0.5°C, while also improving subjective comfort. Improvements were also observed in cognitive function tests. These results confirm the vest helps alleviate stress and maintain a comfortable physical and mental state for workers in hot environments. Details of the research are scheduled for presentation at the 80th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine.

[Expert Comments] Professor Takayuki Ishiwata, Faculty of Sport and Wellness, Rikkyo University: "Looking ahead, we expect further improvements in battery efficiency and comfort by exploring 'personalized cooling control' that automatically adjusts fan volume and Peltier output based on individual skin temperature and heart rate. Additionally, allowing users to freely adjust the placement of the Peltier element to the neck or underarms to ensure proper contact with the body will likely yield higher results."

Professor Hideto Tanaka, Faculty of Humanities, Matsuyama University (Professor Emeritus, Yokohama National University): "Daito Kentaku's approach to heatstroke prevention in the workplace is highly valuable. It significantly contributes to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's heatstroke prevention initiatives at construction sites, and I look forward to their continued contribution toward realizing more comfortable and healthier work environments."