"Snowman Goes to the Desert”

Panasonic Corporation completed an epic challenge using its heat insulation technology. The challenge consisted of taking a box wrapped with Panasonic’s unique vacuum insulation panels, packing it with snow and delivering it to a boy in Bahrain, who had never seen snow before. Travelling a distance of 8,554km (5,314miles) without using any compressor refrigeration, the insulation panels managed to keep the snowman in one piece and bring smiles to the boy and his friends.

The first snow experience in their life! (Photo: Business Wire)

How the Project Began

The project derived from The SPARKS and the super charming 'eco ideas', a program from Panasonic’s global community web site, eco-ideas.net. It focuses on starting fun, innovative experiments within our daily lives by using Panasonic's eco-friendly technology. The SPARKS team has been carrying out various experiments since March 2010 and this latest challenge was the biggest one yet.

It all started with a young girl named Amna Al-Haddad. The SPARKS team, who share their experiments and lifework on Facebook, received a message from this young girl in Bahrain on their fan page. "Snow never falls in Bahrain, so I would like to show my little brother his very first 'snow'."

Moved by her story, the SPARKS team knew what they had to do. "Let's deliver a snowman to Bahrain, to the kindhearted girl and fulfill her wish." And so the experiment began.

Upon seeing the snow for the first time in his life, Saleh and his friends were elated. "It was amazing. I didn’t expect the snowman to be so beautiful. I want to thank Amna for making all this happen for me,” said Saleh.

Amna remarked on the effectiveness of the vacuum insulation. "It was amazing how something so simple could keep the snowman from melting. I’m glad Saleh and all the kids enjoyed it, I really enjoyed it too,” said Amna.

"After the box was opened, we couldn’t just let the snowman melt away,” said Toshiya Inoue of Panasonic Japan, the supervisor of the experiment. Inoue continues, "So we invited Amna and Saleh and a group of kids from the local Abdul Rahman Kanoo International School to feel the snow, have snowball fights and make their own little snowmen. Mr. Snowman melted away, but I’m sure he will live on in the hearts of all those who met him.”

The SPARKS team are planning on another adventure using Panasonic’s eco-friendly technology in the near future.

See the reactions of Amna, Saleh and the kids on The SPARKS Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/sparkslab/

Mr. Snowman’s Journey

- Start Time:

January 13, 2011, 16:00 (GMT)

- Point of Departure:

Niigata Prefecture, Japan

- Destination:

Desert near 'Durrat al Bahrain', Kingdom of Bahrain

- Finish Time:

January 15, 2011, 7:43 (GMT)

- Total Distance Covered:

8,554km (5,314 miles)

- Total Duration of Journey:

39 hours 43 mins

About Panasonic's Unique Vacuum Insulation Technology

The insulation material to be used for this project has a glass fibrous core, enveloped by a plastic-metal foil. Its inner pressure is decompressed to 1-10Pa, enabling the insulating device to decrease gaseous heat conduction. Its efficiency of insulation outperforms 38 times that of glass wool and approximately 20 times that of polyurethane foam, with the rate of decrease in heat conduction at .0012W/mK (*Panasonic's measurements). The technology is currently used in many of Panasonic's household appliances, as well as cooler boxes and attics for insulation.

Related Links

Learn more about "Snowman Goes to the Desert”: http://eco-ideas.net/sparks/snowman/

The Sparks Lab on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SPARKSlab

The Sparks Web site: http://eco-ideas.net/sparks/

Eco ideas Web site: http://eco-ideas.net/

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6575801&lang=en