[ShabbyDoo]

"Air-Conditioned Vest Keeps Factory Workers Cool"

So, according to the link, some guy in China invented one. My dad worked for years in Akron rubber factories, often in front of a steam-powered press of some sort. Temperature was controlled through large exhaust fans -- a practice largely adequate when the outdoor temperature was cool but barely tolerable in August. I recall Summer days when he would instruct my mom before he left home that the window air conditioner in my parents' bedroom should be cranked up to full power in anticipation of his arrival home from work. [We didn't have central air at the time] After eight hours in a 100+ degree Fahrenheit work environment, he wanted little more than to lie down in a cold room.

I was thinking just a couple of weeks ago about this and how a refrigerated suit would have made him much more comfortable (and likely a more efficient worker). Even if an employer does not care about the happiness of its employees, it does care about productivity and the wage required to attract and retain workers. Why are refrigerated suits not more common? I recall reading about ice pack vests worn by people in sports team mascot suits. However, I don't see the guys working on the side of the road wearing anything similar.

Could an inexpensive, reliable suit be "powered" primarily by dry ice? I presume the energy density of a block of dry ice to be at least a order of magnitude greater than a modern battery pack. I'm imagining some sort of small water pump which would cool off the water by allowing it to flow around the dry ice and then circulate it around a person's body. It doesn't seem unreasonable for a road crew to carry along a cooler of dry ice for suit refills.