 The Zero Launcher and the Zero Blaster launch 2 to 6
inch diameter non-toxic fog rings that sail up to fourteen feet. Easy
to use, they are great stress busters and with practice you'll be able
to create bigger and better rings.
The Zero
Launcher and Zero Blaster
use the same liquid that Hollywood uses in the movies to make special
effects fog. Like a snowflake, each fog ring is unique, expanding at
its own rate and traveling at its own speed. You'll be captivated by
their beauty, mesmerized by the myriad shapes you'll discover in every
fog ring you create. The Zero Launcher
and Zero Blaster will
provide hours of good clean fun for children and adults alike.
 A lot of how the Zero Blaster or Zero
Launcher works has to do with your handling of it.
There is an element of finesse you are going to gain as you improve and
pit your skill against yourself and against others. The Launcher and Blaster also provide a fascinating
insight into the principles of physics. The fog ring is a rotating
toroidal (donut shaped) vortex (whirling motion of liquid or air with a
low pressure area in the center).
The Zero
Launcher and Zero Blaster
are available in translucent blue,
red,
purple
and silver. Each toy
comes with three ounces of Super Zero Fluid (cherry
scent), enough for more than 25,000 fog rings.
The Zero
Launcher and Zero Blaster
have an elastic diaphram that pushes a burst of air through a small
opening. You can launch fog rings holding the launcher still, but the
rings will be smaller and travel a shorter distance. To create the
largest fog rings, that will travel up to fourteen feet, follow the
directions in the diagram below.
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1. Begin smooth forward motion
|
2. Fire Blaster or Launcher almost at end of the
smooth forward push |
3.
Slow the forward push after the fog ring is fired but continue forward
motion for an inch or two. |
Notice how the varying forward speed of the
Launcher changes the size of the fog rings. With a little practice, 6
inch fog rings are easily produced. Fog rings made in this way can
travel up to 14 feet.
The fog rings created by the Zero Blaster
and Zero Launcher may look like smoke rings but they are very
different. The Launcher and Blaster create a "fog", a relatively cool
cloud that quickly disappears at room temperature, leaving no trace
behind.
(see our links page)
There are other toroidal vortices in our world, but most of the time
you can't see them. Toroidal vortices can be made from simple air or
water. They require only two things to exist: energy (applied in
exactly the right manner) and a medium (air, water - or special effects
fog solution). Many machines create their own toroidal vortex. They can
occur around the wings of an airplane or in the wake of a boat; inside
a centrifugal pump or in rocket blast.
Douglas Leigh, known as "the man who lit up
Broadway", used steam to create five foot diameter "smoke rings" for
the legendary Camel signs. You can learn more about him from the link
on our links page.
Toroidal vortices also occur in nature - Whirlpools, tornadoes, and
hurricanes are all toroidal vortices. There may even be a galaxy in the
shape of a toroidal vortex. The most impressive maker of toroidal
vortices on earth are volcanoes. They can produce huge and very visible
smoke and fog rings which rise hundreds of feet into the air and last
as long as ten minutes. Scientists are still trying to understand the
way a volcano produces these rings. Who knows, you might be the one who
figures it out. Check out our links page!.
 The sun also produces
Toroidal vortices. Solar flairs can send gigantic rings into space, but
they aren’t the largest rings. That record goes to a star which
exploded, creating a toroidal vortex a billion miles across!
But the most fun example of a toroidal
vortex is made by dolphins.  Dolphins
are sea-bound mammals and so breath air, but they spend a lot of time
under water and have learned to hold their breath for a very long time.
They have also learned to blow air ring bubbles, and to play with them.
In fact, this is one of their favorite games. These bubbles normally
float quickly to the surface. Dolphins never tire of watching bubble
rings, but they also enjoy chasing and catching the rings they create.
Kind of like how we play with soap bubbles. The clever dolphins also
use their flukes and flippers to fan the bubble rings to keep them from
rising. This gives them more time to play with their creation. They can
even change the shape of the bubble rings they create. If you want to
learn more about this fascinating subject, there is a group called
Earthtrust who studies dolphins. Earthtrust has been studying how
dophins seem to understand what they are creating and do it on purpose.
Watching dolphins play with air rings is one of the ways people
discovered what intelligent creatures they really are. There is a link
to their site on our links page.
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