Art, science, and the Atlas Copco E-Air H185 commercial electric air compressor

With its compact dimensions, outstanding performance, and quiet, emissions-free operation, the Atlas Copco E-Air H185 is changing the game when it comes to indoor construction and demolition projects. Now, it’s changing an altogether different game: art.

Construction companies bidding on jobs in indoor or densely populated urban environments are already singing the praises of electric equipment, but the Atlas Copco E-Air H185 is now making a name for electric equipment in the art world, taking center stage in a new performance installation that marries science, robotics, and art in Prague.

Dubbed “Inferno,” the project calls itself a fusion of technology and art, and features “dancers” wearing articulated mechanical exoskeletons motivated by air-powered hydraulic actuators that are fed a constant supply of compressed air from the Atlas Copco unit backstage. The result is a choreographed robotic dance, “where machine and human bodies became one.”

Smooth operator

E-Air H185 VSD compressor in ARCHA+ Theatre, Prague; by Atlas Copco.

The unique environment of the ARCHA+ Theatre is similar to St. Jerome’s in Naples, where an all-electric Bobcat excavator is performing delicate exploration and excavation work. In both cases, the machines have to operate quietly and without generating soot and nitrous oxides that could harm the art, artists, and patrons who come to enjoy them, along with the extreme precision needed to keep the airflow constant and the artist’s vision intact.

That consistency is achieved thanks to Atlas’ electric PACE controller that locks in and regulates air pressure at increments of 0.1 bar / 2 psi … but that wasn’t the only challenge. In the case of “Inferno,” the machine had to operate silently, too – to generate the effect of mechanized movement without the dull thrum of continuous combustion ruining the show.

It did just that. “The (Atlas Copco) E-Air provided a stable, unobtrusive power source that was fundamental to the success of our show,” says Jakub Hykeš, production manager at the ARCHA+ Theatre in Prague. “Its compact form and quiet operation allowed us to keep the focus on the performance, enhancing the interaction between humans and machines in ways that exceeded our expectations.”

You can get a sense of what the show looks like in this clip of the show’s initial run in 2011. While the mechanical details have been updated, the main idea – the portrayal of Hell as a place where humans are controlled by machines – remains the same … and as timely as ever. Give the video a play, then let us know what you think of the Atlas Copco’s performance in the comments.