Archive for July, 2012

Air compressors at core of ‘F1 of the future’ initiative

Friday, July 27th, 2012

Air compressors have always had an important role in Formula 1 Grand Prix racing, providing the high-impact power needed to operate many of the pit crews’ tools when every thousandth of a second counts.

But you might not expect to see air compressors taking the place of Formula 1 cars’ engines, as is happening in a global educational initiative run by the sport.

F1 in Schools is a scheme held in more than 40 countries worldwide, with the winners of National Finals due to head to Abu Dhabi in late October for the World Finals.

In order to enter, teams must use computer-aided design to conceptualise, build and test a Formula 1 car, constructed out of balsa wood and powered by compressed air.

Testing takes place on a scaled-down track measuring 20 metres in length, and the record so far is 1.020 seconds, set in 2007 by Northern Ireland’s Team FUGA.

However, the major landmark all teams are working towards is not just to beat this time, but to prove that compressed air and balsa wood can cover the course in less than one second flat.

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Air compressor pump finds unusual use in lab research

Friday, July 13th, 2012

An air compressor pump had an unusual but important role to play in recent research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The study, carried out by Dr Christina M Karns and colleagues at the University of Oregon, looked into the differences in how deaf and hearing people process sight and touch in their brains.

Previous research has indicated that deaf people’s brains may develop differently, so that parts usually used in hearing become incorporated into the other senses.

In this study, an air compressor pump was used to produce silent puffs of air, which were blown against each participant’s face, while at approximately the same time a brief flash of light was produced within their field of vision.

Among deaf participants, when one flash of light and two puffs of air were produced in close succession, the subject claimed to have seen two visible flashes – an effect not witnessed among the hearing participants.

“This research shows how the brain is capable of rewiring in dramatic ways,” says Dr James F Battey, director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, part of the NIH.

It also highlights some of the more unusual, but equally important uses that air compressors are put to on a daily basis, outside of the usual industrial applications that you might expect.

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