It's summer at last here, and the fans are out blowing the air around to create a cooling effect. The problem with these fans is that they need to be very large in order to shift a lot of air in a substantial space. This then means that they are quite bulky, and create a gale in close proximity.

The solution to this to devise something the has a small foot-print, yet moves a lot of air across a large surface without blowing papers and other material about.

That solution is The Venetian Wall of Air. I shall explain.

Venetian blinds consist of parallel rows of slats, which can be feathered to varying degrees. This basic principle is that which lies behind the idea for The Venetian Wall of Air.

Housed in a stand alone low profile frame, when it's switched off, it looks exactly like a venetian blind. Switch it on and the slats all fully rotate at high speed, and create the wall or air from which the name is derived. This is because instead only being able to feather by a fixed amount, each carefully profiled slat is attached to a small electric motor at one end of its mount.

Individual motors are used instead of a chain drive to enable the air pattern to be fully adjustable. ie more air can be delivered at either head, feet, or mid height by turning up or down that section of slats.
-- xenzag, Jun 10 2009

+ I especially like the individually controllable slat feature. Vertical orientation could allow reciprocation.
-- csea, Jun 10 2009


turbulent flow at the edge is going to heat the air.
-- WcW, Jun 11 2009



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