Three teens from India have invented a refrigerator that doesn’t require electricity. Their creation, Thermavault, instead relies on salt to stay cool! When certain salts dissolve in water, they undergo an endothermic reaction. This chemical reaction absorbs heat, which lowers the temperature inside the fridge.
The team—Dhruv Chaudhary, Mithran Ladhania, and Mridul Jain—designed this portable refrigerator so rural areas lacking electricity could store medicines that need to remain cold. Thermavault can keep cool for up to 12 hours. It’s also reusable—just boil away the water and collect the salt that remains to use again. “We hope Thermavault can make a big difference,” says Dhruv.