Hong Kong startup Fun Tech Lab are currently crowdfunding Windsible, a desktop wind tunnel for model cars, with over 991k HKD (approx. $126k) already pledged.
From Superinnovators 28/06/24
While studying at Cranfield University in the UK, Fun Tech Lab co-founder Steven dreamt up the idea for a miniature wind tunnel for model cars.
And now it seems his vision is about to become a reality with a cracking start to their crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.
With the help of enthusiasts on Reddit, Windsible is designed based on the principles of large wind tunnels used by automotive companies to test the aerodynamics of vehicles, especially F1 cars.
It features a fan(s), streamlined air intake, custom smoke generation device, wind speed control knob and transparent display chamber.
The smoke is generated using a bottle of liquid fog, fogger base and a vertical cartridge with various holes that create multiple streams of smoke.
Although the company doesn’t provide details on this, liquid fog is usually water-based with a small amount of either glycol or glycerin.
A heat exchanger vapourises the mixture, most likely incorporated here in the fogger base.
In multiple demo videos, the vapour streams can be seen undulating over the model car and forming turbulent flow at the rear.
The desktop wind tunnel comes in three different sizes to match your model car collection: 34.9 cm, 72.1 cm or 95.1 cm in length, suited to 1:64, 1:24, or 1:18 model scales respectively.
These are available as rewards through Kickstarter from 1,010 HKD (approx. $129) for the smallest version (1:64).
So far, over 991k HKD (approx. $126k) has been pledged by 677 backers, smashing their target of 78k HKD in just one day with 44 days to go.
