If you or your child has a life-threatening allergy, you probably carry an EpiPen with you. If you have an EpiPen, you are aware that temperature extremes can damage the drug and reduce its life-saving properties. And you are certainly aware of the recent unconscionable increase in the price of these pens, so you need to protect it and keep it usable as long as possible.
The EpiShell, a current Indiegogo project, is designed to keep your EpiPen safe from temperature extremes. The shell was created and developed by Sandy Wengreen and Eric Wengreen, a Stanford-educated engineer, after their son nearly died from an allergic reaction with no EpiPen available.
“The heart of EpiShell is the patented EpiHeat System. This system releases heat when it’s cold outside and absorbs heat when it’s hot outside. It doesn’t use any batteries. Instead, it uses advanced EpiCells that “reset” to room temperature when indoors and then release or absorb heat as necessary when outdoors.”
Funding for the EpiShell continues on Indiegogo for about 12 more days; the project is still short of their goal. If you need a way to insure you keep your EpiPen at safe temperatures as you carry it with you, you can pledge $35 for a EpiShell that holds a single EpiPen. Get an EpiShell that holds two EpiPens for a $49 pledge or two single-pen EpiShells for $69. Delivery is expected in January 2017.
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
Pretty sure they call it a thermos.
Nope. According to the info on the project page, EpiShell is not just an insulated container:
The heart of EpiShell is the patented EpiHeat System. This system releases heat when it’s cold outside and absorbs heat when it’s hot outside. It doesn’t use any batteries. Instead, it uses advanced EpiCells that “reset” to room temperature when indoors and then release or absorb heat as necessary when outdoors.
“EpiShell is not just an insulated container”
It actually is. Even the image above says so – ultra-vacuum insulation. It’s a thermos.
How does a thermos work? That’s right, using vacuum as an insulator between the inner and outer walls of the container. Next check the images on the patent link from their indiegogo page and they obviously depict a thermos. And this “thermal bank” thingy inside – it’s just a fancy name for “some extra insulation”.
“…heart of EpiShell is the patented EpiHeat System…”
Yes. We call that a rock 🙂
This is amazing!!! Obv the above commentators don’t understand EpiPens or nut allergies. We had a huge storm and lose power often, which means cold temperatures and ruined EpiPens. My friend even slept with her EpiPen during a winter storm! This means nut allergy kids can go skiing! I love the double since we need to carry two at all times! Thanks for sharing. I’m passing on the link to the nut allergy FB pages.
It is not that we don’t understand… it is that there is nothing new with an insulated containers with a “passive temperature stabilization systems.” If the heating/cooling “system” for some reason can defy physics and cannot not be “heated” to above or “cooled” to below “room temperature” then AWESOME. However, with a PASSIVE system, that is just impossible. Without active cooling (refrigeration), if this thing is heated to 100º, we guarantee it will be retaining/releasing heat at 100º.
We want to call out “marketing speak” on something that is just out there because “Epipens” are currently in the news.
Why don’t you read the patent then. It’s all in the patent. I’m excited to try it and glad the lid is easy to open when I need the EpiPen.
They probably have a layer of phase-change wax. If you remember from science class – materials stay at the same temperature when changing phase e.g. from solid to liquid. That would be very clever use of old technology.
The patent says they use TWO phase change materials – one to prevent getting too cold, one to prevent getting too hot. Two gold stars for them!
Whatever happened to this?