Hi-tech solutions against the heat: heat-regulating collars, rings and blankets

Extreme heatwaves will perhaps push these products to us as well, starting with those who move in traffic by bike or motorbike or those who walk as tourists in a scorching city.

If we want to be intemerate pioneers of these innovations and not fear the curious stares of the provincial crowd, the possibilities are many.

It's good to know that the best costs: at least EUR 175 (EUR 150 with easy-to-find coupons) for the Ranvoo Aice Lite of 2025, referred to by experts as the best hi-tech 'neck' model for the price (the standard version costs almost twice as much and has only a few more functions).

These products are aconcentration of sensors, fans and chips. The fans in the device blow air over the neck and face. They promote the evaporation of sweat, which is the body's natural method of dissipating heat.

In addition, they use metal plates in contact with the skin of the neck, where important arteries run. These plates cool thanks to the Peltier effect, which moves heat from one side to the other in a thermoelectric chip powered by a battery. A competitor is the Torras Coolify, which, however, is now less cost-effective.

What to expect? The effect is remarkable when we are sitting indoors. Outdoors above 32 degrees let's not expect miracles. Expect aminimum duration of at least two hours in the full cooling function; up to 24 in fan-only mode.

There are also similar products that cost a tenth, but you have to be wary of the quality (effectiveness, noise, robustness...).

Attention: we cannot go running with it, the product is not designed to stay fixed on the neck in all situations.

For intense sport we can opt for an ice ring, as they are called; although they use not ice but new phase change materials (pcm) such as gels that remain soft and release the cold gradually.

Here, too, prices vary, but we recommend spending more than 10-15 euros, for example for the Charmyth.

For working while sitting or moving slowly, the new generation of portable fans should not be underestimated. Also popular in China, Korea, Japan, and increasingly in the West, they are evolving rapidly.

They have super-efficient and quiet powerful motors, temperature sensors and automatic flow regulation. Prices range from 20 to almost a hundred euros and among the best known and easiest to buy in Italia are the Jisulife and the Ranvoo.

We come to the night. And to graphene. Over the past two years, graphene has been introduced into a number of smart textile covers, including summer bedspreads, sheets and sofa plaids, designed to improve the dissipation of body heat while sleeping on tropical nights.

Graphene has a very high thermal conductivity: up to five times higher than copper.

Incorporated into synthetic fibres (polyester, nylon, modal), it helps to rapidly transfer heat away from the body. Some blankets combine graphene with pcm materials to actively regulate temperature. Again, prices vary widely, but a recognised pioneer is Hilu and its blankets start at around 150 euros.

At the end of this journey, with all these products, we will certainly feel fresher. Our wallets will also feel something. Not as pleasant. But at least we will have made it through this summer - and the next - with a few less beads of sweat.