Tornex Table Creates A Mini-Tornado To Suck Up Dirty Air

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In Japan (along with many parts of the world), people still smoke pretty regularly inside many public establishments.  Exhausts generally take care of clearing up all the olfactory assault, but those things are no fun.  The Tornex Table, however, sounds like a whole bundle of entertainment.

Designed as a round table with a hole in the middle, the smoke-clearing  apparatus creates an artificial tornado that pulls the pungent air and sends them down to the gaping orifice.  A charcoal filter system sits right under the opening, which proceeds to remove 95% of the smoke and odor before sending the air back into the room.

Despite the name, the Tornex Table actually comprises of more than a table.  Four perforated silver poles stand in the vicinity, with the setup clearing air only within the total area they cover (i.e. they should be in each of the four corners of a room to clean air in the whole space).  The poles are the ones responsible for blowing the air, which they do in the same rotating direction, to create the artificial tornado that sucks dirty air into the table’s vortex.

More impressively, the system can be installed within a designated smoking area of a large room to keep the cigarette stench confined into the space.  Since the poles will push all air towards the center, none of the suffocating smoke will ever make it out beyond the standing rods (no need for other guests to wear a cat face mask), leaving you and all your smoke-happy friends to keep all that carbon monoxide to yourselves.

The Tornex Table was recently on exhibit at the Japan Food Service Equipment Show.  Target market, for now, are the countries around smoking-friendly Asia, with pricing expected at ¥2,500,000 (around $30,000)

[Tornex via Diginfo]

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5 Responses

  1. Hey, this seems to be right out of the book of some evil genius. Rather than licensing smokers to carry the puffs and releases on, without being nagged by any gilt feelings of creating a dangerous and degraded air environment for nearby sitters, the Tornex table could just work the other way. What excuse could people have to give their wify and girleys when they are asked to buy one thirty thousand dollar priced furniture piece so that the family can co-exist! On a serious note, I guess we better prepare to see this thing feature in all the bars around leading Asian tourist cities.

  2. Exhausts are certainly not the ideal solution to clear up the mess of smoke and smell created by a gang of smokers. It is a ridiculous situation having to breathe in such defiled air at home, and even more so when you are out with your family in a restaurant and these goons feel the need of a smoke! In fact, my estimate is that the damage is done before the exhausts are able to chuck out the naughty air molecules. It is an interesting idea to have a simulated tornado direct all the random smoke into an orifice where it is greeted by air filters. But I think the company making the Tornex Table is committing a folly pricing the thing so exorbitantly. It will be a matter of days before there are more sensibly priced and similarly operating table in the market.

  3. I will not mince my words, when I first noticed the image, I though this was one special kind of loo seat for the extra obese! He he… Thank Heavens, this is a more novel idea than that. Always expect the Japanese to come up with a product even when there is no expectation of one. How often did you wish for a smoke purifier when your hubby and his pals were on a smoking spree on a warm Saturday evening, just for those expectations to be lost in the smoke the very next instant? Cheers to the thinkers of this wonderful idea.

  4. While I was on a business trip to Shanghai an year or so back, I noticed a small shop with all kinds of ash trays and stuff. There was one styled in the shape of a car, with some air filters inside it! You throw the ash in there, and wait as the filters buzz into action. I bought it home, only to notice that there was nothing apart from noise about the buzzing filters! A mere glorified ash tray, that’s all it was. I can only hope that the Japanese are more graceful and considerate towards the needs and aspirations of smokers. I would certainly have been on the lookout for the Tornex Table had the price been less explosive.

  5. It would add to the appeal of any swanky bar with this table installed in the middle and people seeing their smoke circulate over the hole in the middle of the table. But would this system work out for a large area? I mean, there has got to be some trade off at least, amongst the area covered and the cleaning effect of the Tornex table. I must learn something more about this wonderful new product.

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