Compressors are all around us. They can be found in machines ranging from implantable medical devices to aircraft engines and in products from almost every industrial sector. The one thing that all compressors have in common is that the electric motors that drive them consume energy—a lot of energy.

“Many of the compressors that are used today are highly inefficient, consuming a significant amount of electricity that powers them,” says Bulent Sarlioglu, an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Professional Development and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “While some compressor designs are more efficient than others, much can be done to create a more efficient and reliable compressor.”