A tiny air compressor that was first developed for space travel has been adapted for medical and dental applications by Edinburgh-based manufacturer Vert Rotors. This is the first real innovation in this technology in 100 years and produces clean air suitable for use in a sterile environment and a rate four times higher than the nearest competitor.
The VERT.04.W compressor – which is barely bigger than the face of a wristwatch – is the world's smallest high-pressure and low-vibration clean air compressor.
The VERT.04 technology first was unveiled as a prototype satellite cooling system for the Ministry of Defence's Centre for Defence Enterprise, which aims to improve significantly the quality of infrared imaging.
The medical version of the VERT.04 is a low-noise, low-vibration desktop compressor. It produces clean air compressed to 115 pounds per square inch (psi), nearly four times higher than the current generation of industry-standard small compressors, which struggle to produce more than 32 psi.
Vert's water-injected compressor uses water injection instead of machine oil, eliminating the risk of contamination.
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The world's smallest clean air compressor. Br Dent J 222, 221 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.137
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.137
