Panasonic and Osaka Metro: Trial of Open Air Conditioned Station Waiting Booth Until September

Panasonic and Osaka Metro have started a trial of an open-fronted “station waiting booth” that retains conditioned air.

The “station waiting booth” to be installed uses Panasonic’s air conditioning unit combined with airflow control technology through fans, which prevents the conditioned air from escaping from the area around people even in the open-fronted design. Compared to enclosed station waiting rooms, it reduces the depth by about 50% while maintaining the same power consumption per seat, and can also be installed in places that were previously too narrow due to platform width issues.

The installation site is Asashiohashi Station on the Chuo Line, and the installation period is from February 7 to September. During both summer and winter periods, user surveys will be conducted along with measuring various metrics such as temperature and power consumption using various sensors.