When you think about it, the only thing that makes something “alive” is the inevitability of its death. We cease to be humans moving about in the world when our hearts stop pumping blood and our lungs stop taking in air. We transform into something else instead — a mass of nutrients that will return to the earth in order to take on new forms. A new sculptural creation by artist Kebei Li plays with these ideas in the form of a glass bench held together by vacuum pressure.

“Structure #1” consists of three panes of glass, four pneumatic pads, air hoses, and vacuum electronics. It doesn’t really become a bench until these pieces are fitted together and the vacuum is turned on, creating a hyper-secure structural bond between the glass sheets. The technology that holds it together was originally designed to lift and move oversized sheet stock materials like glass, granite, plywood, and sheet metal, all of which are often too heavy or awkward to be handled by human operators.

As Li notes, “such a bond can be ended at any second.” If the vacuum is turned off, it collapses into a pile of raw materials incapable of performing the same functions. Unlike traditional furniture fasteners like nails, screws, glue, and complex joints, the vacuum pressure can literally undo the process of transforming the materials into a useful object at the flip of a switch. The functionality of the furniture is “strenuously and visibly maintained” by the electrical components, with the vacuum and hoses standing in for a biological system that provides its host organism with nourishment.

The deep humming of the pump is what lets you know the bench is still “alive.” If it were to stop while you were sitting on it, you’d want to get up fairly quickly, lest you find yourself on the floor in a heap of glass. Still, the bench isn’t actually in much danger of dramatically breaking, since it takes a little while for the vacuum pressure to fully release, and anyone seated on it would feel it begin to loosen.

“This speculative project presents a glass bench that is held together by vacuum-powered pneumatic fixtures,” says Li. “Structural stability, the fundamental quality central to the interaction of any furniture object, is arduously maintained by a complex pneumatic system, without which the structures will simply collapse.”

“An exploration of the esoteric quality often found in post-industrial machineries, the carefully crafted system aims to solve a relatively straightforward need in a rather counter-intuitive and circuitous way. It presents a contradicting entity that is definitive, calculated, rational, yet at the same time obscure and enigmatic.”

The post Glass Bench Held Together by Vacuum Suction first appeared on Dornob.

In some circles, having an elevator in your home is the pinnacle of luxury. That is mostly because they’re ridiculously expensive to install, requiring extensive infrastructure, lots of space, and specialized labor and maintenance. This is unfortunate for people with mobility issues who would greatly benefit from in-home lifts. A new type of residential elevator is making the dream of home elevator ownership a little more attainable.

The Residential Pneumatic Vacuum Elevator actually makes so much sense that it’s a wonder it hasn’t been in use for decades already. It uses the same pneumatic principle that operates the tube system at the bank drive-through. Unlike the bank tubes, however, the elevator doesn’t clumsily crash crash and clank when it reaches its destination. It is designed to stop at exactly the right spot every time, gently and without any terrifying bumps.

The vacuum elevator looks a bit delicate with its transparent polycarbonate enclosure, but it can hold an impressive 450 pounds – more than enough for the typical home. It has a tiny footprint, taking up only one square meter of floor space, and it only takes a few short hours to install. Because of its small size and simple operation, it can be installed in homes that wouldn’t accommodate a traditional elevator. Look out, celebrities – regular people will soon be joining you in the elevator-equipped population.

“Gone are the days of science fiction when people traveled in transparent bubbles. Today this is no longer a product of our imagination. There is a bubble that can carry you without cables, pulleys or pistons. It is our self-supporting vacuum elevator; a light and resistant structure built with aluminum and polycarbonate. By simple principles of physics; the difference in air pressure above and beneath the vacuum elevator cab literally transports you by air. It is the vacuum pumps or turbines that pull you up to the next Floor and the slow release of air pressure that floats you down.”

“Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators are easier to install,  maintain, and operate than traditional elevators. They are especially ideal for existing homes due to their compact design because excavating a pit, and hoist way are not required. Air pressure above and beneath the elevator cab are the key to transporting.”

“The reliability and safety of these vacuum elevators are unsurpassed due to the physics behind the design; it is virtually impossible to get stuck between floors, or freefall.”

The post Affordable Residential Elevator Design first appeared on Dornob.