A fire piston is an ancient device which is used to start fires. It uses the principle of compression ignition to ignite a piece of tinder, which is then used to light kindling.

There is some speculation that Rudolf Diesel was inspired by an Asian fire piston that he saw when he was creating his Diesel engine. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The diesel engine is a type of internal combustion engine; more specifically, it is a compression ignition engine, in which the fuel is ignited by being suddenly exposed to the high temperature and pressure of a compressed gas containing oxygen (usually atmospheric air), rather than a separate source of ignition...