We are used to imagine technological innovation in the IT sector and in the various players of the Silicon Valley. Nothing further from the truth: now, even philanthropist leader Bill Gates pursues new solutions for temperature control. The technology is called Global Goods and comes from the combined effort of Gates and Intellectual Ventures, aiming to face the difficult problem of vaccines, especially in those areas of the world where they are indispensable but there are no infrastructures to power freon-base systems (and where even ice can not make up for). The latest technology is called Indigo and promises to be able to transport vaccines for up to 5 days without either ice or batteries. How? As strange as it sounds, by taking advantage of the heat and following a principle very similar to the perspiration of the human body. The pressure inside has, in fact, been lowered to the point where the water evaporates at 5°C, thus allowing water particles to absorb heat.

The one just described is not the only innovation in the cold chain that benefits medicines: we should also mention Artek PSD, a project that aims to protect aerospace vehicles from extreme temperature environments. By combining different technologies, a super-insulated container is created with inside a small tank surrounded by vacuum walls, connecting the various inner shells with a fiberglass tube and stainless steel bellows. This technology is also associated with the Artek SSD, a 150-watt solar panel dedicated to thermal storage, as well as Arktek DF, which ensures products temperatures up to - 80°C obtained through phase-change materials (PCM).

Last but not least the MetaFride technology, which uses a thick isolation and an internal ice block that integrates with a radiator for the maintenance of passive cold inside vaccines preservation compartment (up to 50L). The radiator, which cools the rooms evenly, provides controlled storage temperatures. Furthermore, MetaFridge uses remote control via smart technology.

If these are the premises, we can consider the expansion of HVAC&R not only quantity-wise, with business turnover numbers growing year after year, but also quality-wise, as we have seen on many occasions, the areas of expertise of controlled temperature and the technologies involved increase exponentially year after year.