PROTOTYPE HAT HAS WATER ABSORBENT CRYSTALS FOR COOLING

Linda Cook and her son Kevin Pringles developed a Hydro Hat that uses water-absorbent crystals to keep the wearer cool. Their strategy is to market the hat - that soaks for 30-minutes in cool water - that will keep the hat hydrated for three days. The hat was part of a school project at Arizona State University’s Edson Student Initiative contest. Cook said there are plans to market this product to construction workers, postal workers and the military, but that they haven’t perfected the prototype yet.

The mother-and-son successfully competed against 86 other teams and were awarded $10,000. The company is called Hydro Headwear.