Beat the heat: tech to help you keep your cool

Withtemperatures in the UK set to skyrocket today, many Brits will be worryingabout how to stay comfortable and safe in the hot weather. As someone who feelsthe heat at the best of times, the thought of working, sleeping and pretty muchjust existing in 35-degree heat is far from ideal.

Luckily, thereare some nifty gadgets on the market designed to help make the hot temperaturesmore manageable… and they’re seriously cool (see what I did there?). Here are afew of my favourite examples of technology that can help the nation avoid ameltdown during a heatwave.

I’m a big fan

Not to sounddramatic, but having recently upgraded from a standard hand-held fan to a Dyson tower fan I can honestly say that it has changedmy LIFE. Admittedly on the expensive side, it’s certainly an indulgent purchasejust on the off chance that we’ll actually have a summer in the UK. However,for someone who almost constantly feels unbearably hot (heatwave or noheatwave), it’s totally worth it.

Gone are thearguments about sleeping with the fan on, as this little miracle worker is soquiet that you can sleep soundly while it either oscillates (if you fancysharing), or hits you directly with a sweet, sweet beam of cooling air. Plus,it comes with a handy remote, so you can control the device from afar. Easybreezy!

In the hotseat

While the Dysonfan may be lightweight enough from room to room, it’s not exactly portable enoughfor travel (yet). This means that when you unfortunately do have to leave yourhouse and go to work, you’ll need an alternative solution that won’t get youfunny looks on the aptly-named Bakerloo line.

For anyone whohas ever had to commute in insufferably hot weather, you’ll know that a train tubeor bus carriage can quickly turn into an oven-like torture chamber. While thereare plenty of hand-held fans on the market, the D-FantiX Misting Fan gives a double whammy of fanning and an additional coolingspray of water. Plus, its handy travel size means that you can take it with youwherever you go to make the heatwave that bit more bearable.

Hot underthe collar

Many companies,including TechNiche are creating smart clothing such as cooling wristbands and jackets to keep wearers cool. Taking it onestep further and more into a healthtech dimension, Japanese tech consultancyNTT DATA has created a sensor-embedded shirt called Hitoethat monitors the wearer’s vitals and can detect the early symptoms ofheatstroke. In the future, such technology could be used pre-emptively to helpsave lives when temperatures climb.

If the hotweather hasn’t put you off your gym visit, there’s even technology to help youcool off after a workout. Both the Cool Towel Pro and theMission Instant cooling towel from Bloch are great examples of this. The material just needs to besoaked in water for it to provide an instantly refreshing cooling effect to theuser. So, there’s no need to throw in the towel when it comes to exercising inthe heat.

Cool it

Ignoring all myterrible puns, staying safe in the sun is no joke. Aside from top tips like usingsunscreen, staying in the shade and keeping hydrated, there are plenty ofnewspapers citing more practical solutions to dealing with the heatwave this week.However, if you’re after a tech solution,hopefully the options above will help to make sure you’re hot to trot, nomatter what you’re doing this