Conceived by Australian designer Jeremy Thorpe, the “Eco Vac” from RMIT is a simple yet efficient vacuum cleaner designed for dusty workspaces that have access to compressed air. Incorporating a turbine linked up to the air canister in the center of the body, the vacuum cleaner comes integrated with an electric valve at the top of the air canister that releases the air at a steady pace to turn the turbine. There is no interference with the vacuum, as the air runs around a channel and turns the fins via tiny hands located at the end of each fin. The hands sit in the channel and the fins create the vacuum. The compressed air turns those hands inside the channel and a vacuum is created.
The chamber at the rear of the vac is the air canister, which is charged with 200 psi of compressed air in just one minute. The charge lasts for about 14 minutes due to the electric valve powered by the NI CD battery and the air is released at a steady rate. It runs of a NI CD battery located at the base of the air chamber which is completely rechargeable and can be recycled, and lasts for about 300 hours. The dust compartment is placed in the nose and can be lifted up via a push button to evacuate the dust. The vac features a large volume so it holds a lot of dust. Moreover, there is a funnel on the turbine to channel the air and suck it through a filter, after all the dust amasses in the dust compartment.
[Thanks Jeremy]