Pneumatic means powered by compressed air or related to air pressure. A pneumatic drill uses blasts of compressed air to hammer through concrete and rock. Pneumatic tubes whoosh containers from one place to another using air pressure, like the drive-through systems at some banks that send your deposit flying through a tube to the teller inside.

When you pump air into something under pressure and then release that pressure to do work, you're using pneumatic power. Basketball shoes with air cushions, nail guns at construction sites, and the brakes on large trucks and buses all rely on pneumatic systems.

You might also hear pneumatic used in medicine. Pneumatic bones are bones filled with air spaces, like the hollow bones that help birds fly. A pneumatic tire is filled with compressed air, which is why we pump up bicycle tires and why a flat tire happens when that air escapes.

Engineers often use pneumatic systems because compressed air can be clean, safe, and powerful for many tasks.