The cockpit of a “Super Formula” car, where drivers are subjected to intense heat and extreme G-forces. “Tiger Thermos,” a brand familiar from family dining tables, took on the challenge of this harsh, extreme environment.
The result is “Cool-Flow,” a racing drink system recently announced that was developed exclusively for racing driver Juju.
How did a home appliance manufacturer—a company from a completely different industry—meet the grueling demands of motorsports?
While this has already generated a great deal of buzz in various media outlets, we sat down with Mr. Murata of the R&D and Marketing Group—the lead developer—to get the inside story on the challenges not mentioned in the press release and the story behind the brilliant breakthrough achieved by applying the company’s existing technology (coffee makers).
1. What Is “Cool-Flow,” the Technology That Supports Extreme Environments?
During a race, the cockpit of a race car can become an extremely hot environment, with temperatures inside sometimes reaching as high as 70°C.To address this, Tiger Magic Bottle has combined the advanced insulation technology and thermal control expertise cultivated through years of product development to create a system that reliably delivers “cold drinks” to drivers even under extreme conditions.This helps prevent the loss of concentration and decline in performance caused by heatstroke and dehydration, thereby supporting the safety of athletes as they battle through grueling races.
[Key Specifications and Features]
- Cooling Performance in Extreme Conditions: Even with interior temperatures reaching up to 70°C, it reliably keeps drinks cold from the start to the finish of the race.
- Smooth Hydration System: Specifically designed to allow drivers to instantly consume cold fluids whenever they want, even amid the intense vibrations and extreme G-forces experienced during a race.
- Vehicle-Optimized Packaging: Designed to minimize weight increases that directly impact lap times while ensuring safe installation within the limited space of the cockpit.
In the unfamiliar realm of motorsports, the company’s technology for “delivering cold items while keeping them cold” has been brilliantly optimized into a system.
2. A “Counterproposal” Born from the Perspective of a Motorsports Fan
The person who spearheaded this project was Katsunori Murata of the R&D and Marketing Group. He previously worked in the Customer Service Department and is also known for planning and developing the hit product “Magic Rice Cooker,” which uses newspaper as fuel to cook rice.
Mr. Murata is actually a huge car enthusiast and motorsports fan. He
currently owns a Honda Civic Type R—which he just took delivery of—and a Honda S2000.
He enjoys driving the S2000 himself on the racetrack. He
also attends motorsports events—including “Super GT”—whenever he has the time.
This project was launched with his background strongly reflected in its design.
It all started when Masae Noda (NODA Racing Consultants)—the mother of racer Juju, whom I originally met through “Magic Stove Rice”—approached me with a request: “I’d like you to create a bottle that looks cool to drink from after a race.”
However, Mr. Murata had already heard through the grapevine about a request to develop a “racer’s bottle,” and perhaps because this aligned with his own background, the phrase “racer’s hydration” automatically translated in his mind to “a hydration system for extreme conditions during a race.”
Later, when they actually met in person, he realized the misunderstanding, but the story didn’t end there. Mr. Murata, who
knew firsthand the harsh conditions of the racetrack and the risk of dehydration for drivers, refused to back down.
“――‘Would you let us use our technology to solve the challenge of hydration during races?’――”
It was this innovative “counterproposal” that set the project in motion.
3. “The Origins of the Thermos,” Which Transformed the Company
The biggest hurdle was convincing the company internally—specifically, answering the question, “Why would a home appliance manufacturer make racing equipment?” Mr. Murata overcame this challenge by linking it to the company’s “history” and “philosophy.”
There were two key points.
The first was the company’s track record of sponsoring the “Moriwaki” motorcycle team in 2004.
And the second—this was the deciding factor.Mr.
Murata referred to the vision of the founder of Tiger Corbull. He highlighted the founder’s desire—which sparked the company’s creation—to “drink the warm tea my mother used to make,” and the racing driver’s earnest wish to “drink something cold in a hot, harsh environment.”Although the temperatures differ, aren’t they essentially the same as the founder’s philosophy?
This passionate appeal garnered the support of his superiors and the president, propelling the project into an official initiative.
4. The Savior Is a “Coffee Maker”
Development proved extremely difficult. Initially, we devised a design that involved insulating the tube and packing ice packs around it, but during test runs, we encountered a critical failure: “the drink left inside the tube froze and caused a blockage.”If this happened during
the actual race, the driver would be unable to hydrate for two hours. Since this was a project he had proposed himself—and, above all, now that he had set foot in the professional world of the top category he had always aspired to—he simply could not back down.
That’s when Mr. Murata had a flash of inspiration: repurposing his company’s existing technology.If the liquid freezes because it remains in the tube, then he simply needed to return it to the bottle after drinking. To implement this “flow (return)” mechanism, he utilized—believe it or not—technology from his company’s own “coffee maker.” By adapting components such as the pump and solenoid valve used in that machine, he developed a system capable of withstanding the rigors of the actual race in just one month.
Incidentally, the name “Cool-Flow” was conceived by Mr. Murata. It combines the word “flow” with “cool”—as in “cold” and “stylish”—to convey the idea of “conveying something cold” and “delivering water in a stylish way.”
That “first-generation” model made its debut at the opening round of the Super Formula season.
Since then, it has undergone repeated improvements based on feedback from the team and driver Juju, and has continued to evolve into what is now the “fourth generation.”
5. The Value of “Test Beds” as Revealed by Niche Challenges
This system is called “Cool-Flow.” To date, it appears the company has received numerous
inquiries from other teams and categories. However, at present, they are fully occupied with supporting Juju.
Since racing equipment is on a completely different scale from mass-produced items, it is difficult to sell this system directly to the general public as-is. However, the fact that they were able to address “niche hydration challenges”—issues not typically encountered in everyday settings—has become a major asset for the company.Tiger Magic Bottle’s
challenge—utilizing extreme environments as a “test bed” for its proprietary technology and embodying the founder’s vision in a new form. This approach, which demonstrates the potential of the company’s technology in uncharted territory
, should serve as a valuable hint for many manufacturing companies seeking their next innovation.
[Reporting, Writing, and Photography]
The mono-think Editors
A web media outlet that explores the cutting edge of Japan’s “manufacturing” and “infrastructure” from the perspective of
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