Briefs: Lifesaving pocket refrigerator

During the severe heatwave in Europe in 2003, Uwe Diegel realized that his brother was encountering problems keeping his insulin refrigerated while travelling. So the inventor decided to invent a pocket refrigerator based on the Peltier effect discovered in 1834. Inside the mini-refrigerator, electric current is passed through thousands of tiny cubes with different densities, inducing a temperature change. The invention recently won a prestigious Concours Lepine prize. The pocket Medifridge maintains drugs at a temperature of 2 to 8°C for up to 30 hours and is designed for vaccines, insulin eye drops and other drugs requiring refrigeration. The inventor has also developed Poucho, an insulated pouch designed above all for insulin pens that keep insulin cold for up to 4 days without electricity and can be re-used hundreds of times by immersing the pouch in water for 90 seconds. Source: www.lexpress.fr