The development of green technology and creative engineering initiatives like the “maker movement” are all indicators of our era’s melding of science with fields it has previously been thought to characteristically differ from: fields like ethics, philosophy, and art.

As these many scopes through which to view the world begin to intertwine, the results can range from startling to exciting to terrifying. Recent developments in the realm of transportation, housing, and digital technology have demonstrated the potential to completely overturn our most fundamental assumptions about the many relationships between humankind and the world in which he, she, or whoever might live.  

For example, take Dyson’s Air Multiplier. Recently revamped to be larger and more substantial, these bladeless fans blew people away.
The technology works like so: air is drawn into the base of the fan, then forced into the fan’s loop amplifier. The loop amplifier accelerates the air before blowing it into a jet of air that cools whatever room it’s placed in. Throughout that process, the fan forces surrounding air into the stream to create a smoother and more natural-seeming air flow.

The original Dyson Air Multipliers were designed to be table-top or shelf fans, but newer and larger models like the AM03 Pedestal and AM02 Tower have been intended to stand directly on the floor. They come equipped with multiple air flow settings and remotes.

The AM02 Tower stands 39.65″ tall upon a base with 4.33″ x 7.48″ dimensions. The appliance intakes a remarkable nine gallons of air per second and amplifies that quantity at a rate of 16x before generating air flow. The Pedestal has a circular top where the Tower has an oval and stands slightly higher at 46.77 inches tall. It even extends to a cool 55.43 inches. With the same nine gallons of air, the Pedestal can generate up to 18x the airflow.

Both of these larger Dyson Air Multipliers come only in silver and retail around $450.00. You should be able to find them at most American large-scale appliance stores online, with perhaps more limited options in terms of their being physically stocked at a particular outlet.

Another appliance with a similar appliance and a vastly different look was released last May. Called the Panasonic Q, this electric fan manages to cool and circulate the air of your home despite looking more like a piece of abstract art than a common household appliance. Aesthetically, it’s the perfect addition to a coffee table or book shelf, but at the same time it serves a very real purpose in terms of the otherwise sweaty homeowner.

The Panasonic Q functions without the help of blades. Instead, it utilizes intake ports surrounding its main chamber that suck in outside air and pass it through an embedded turbo fan. The air is then induced around an air outlet before being expelled as the cooling, soothing breeze that comes highly appreciated during humid afternoons.

The Q’s unique design allows it to blow up to seven times the amount of air it actually siphons, making for one powerful fan wrapped in a tiny mod package. The fan’s ability so propel more air than it intakes also enables it to run more quietly and use less energy doing it. The whole system uses only 18.5 watts of power at its highest setting.

According to Panasonic, this sturdy little fan even mimics the wind in its way of dispelling the air; that way it delivers the comfort of a cool breeze on a hot day as opposed to the machine-like blow whipped up by more conventional electric fans.

Wondering where you can find your Panasonic Q? They’re selling in Japan for the equivalent of US $330.