If you're sitting outside on a hot day, a sun shade will only help keep you cool to a limited extent. The ecto system goes further, by pumping ice water through your outdoor chair or seat cushion.
Currently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign, the ecto setup was invented by Atlanta-based entrepreneur Aaron Carmack. It's available as both a complete ecto Chair, and as an ecto TOPR (pronounced "topper") cushion that can be added to an existing chair.
In both cases, an integrated pump draws ice water from the user's cooler and continuously circulates it through 54 feet (16.5 m) of thermal tubing in the seat. A single-button control unit allows users to choose between three cooling levels, which keep the seat at a temperature of 65, 55 or 45 ºF (18, 13 or 7 ºC), respectively.
One charge of the ecto's optional 5-volt/5,000-mAh lithium-ion battery (buyers can supply their own, if they want) should reportedly be good for nine hours of use at the maximum cooling level, ranging up to 36 hours at the lowest level. If users don't mind sacrificing a bit of that battery life – and they want to cool down ASAP – they can select a Super Chill Mode that cools the seat down to 45 degrees in just 90 seconds.
The ecto Chair features a 600-Denier heavy-duty polyester padded seat and armrests, a powder-coated steel frame, a cupholder that can be mounted on either side, and an optional sun shade. It tips the scales at a claimed 15.2 lb (6.9 kg), and can support a maximum user weight of 275 lb (125 kg).
The ecto TOPR is basically the Chair without the frame, and it's being offered in long- and standard-length versions. It's worth noting that the device can be laid out flat on the ground, to serve as a cooling camping mattress or beach towel underlay.
Pledges start at US$152 for the standard TOPR (planned retail $209), ranging up to $259 for an everything-included Chair package (retail $340).
There's more information in the following video.
