It seems engineers are still trying to think up new ways to put tornadoes to work. This time, a twister 34.43 meters high inside the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany is designed to combat fire and dust. So how does one create a tornado?

Well, 144 individual air jets get things moving. It takes about seven minutes for the jets to move 28 tons of air into a concentrated spiral, made visible by carbon dioxide vapor fed into the swirling plume. The tornado harmlessly sucks in small particles like dust and carries it toward vents in the roof and, in the event of a fire, harmful smoke would also be evacuated.

The Guinness Book Of World Records officially marked the Mercedes-Benz man-made tornado down as the world's tallest on Monday. — Kevin Hall

Spluch, via OhGizmo!