One of the best parts about skipping town for an exotic vacation is the anticipation of spending time in warmer (or cooler) weather. But what if experiencing that part of the getaway was simply a matter of pointing to a spot on a small, tech-enabled globe (a semi-sphere, if you will)? Just imagine: You could enjoy that ocean breeze without the rigmarole of Airbnb. Well, look no further than the Air Globe, a conceptual design by National Taipei University of Technology Master Degree Student Pei-Chih Deng, currently a contender in the Electrolux Design Lab competition. The premise is that the user can choose a geographical location on the globe and experience its climate within the comfort and convenience of his or her humble abode.

The device simulates the ambiance of one's destination by collecting real-time data on the temperature, humidity levels, smells and even the sounds of the area. The region's geographical information, weather and name show up on the display for easy reference. Hence the tagline: "Bringing sunny Miami to your rainy Monday"—because no matter where you live, we all know how snowy/blustery/humid/monsoon-y Mondays go.

As with its underlying typology, the Air Globe rotates on an axis, making it easy for the user to explore different climates with a basic command of geography. The viewfinder at the top of the 3D map incorporates a magnification function for those of you looking to do some city-specific globetrotting. "By choosing regions and times, we can not only have the air we want precisely, but also feel the changes of the seasons," Deng says. "Also, we can know the climates around the world—so it becomes a perfect consultant for every time you travel."

The air purifier sounds great in theory, but I'd personally be interested to know just how long it would take the tabletop gadget to turn my apartment into an arctic escape from the increasingly muggy—and, as of this week, stormy—atmospheric conditions of New York City.

Via Yanko Design