Sir James Dyson, Born 2nd May 1947 is a famous British inventor who has been active in industry since the 1970's. Trained as a furniture and interior design at the Royal College of Art in London, before moving into engineering, he had some early success with products such as the Ballbarrow and Sea Truck.

Frustrated by his experiences using bagged vacuum cleaners (they clogged and lost suction) and inspired by the dust extraction system he observed during a visit to a timber sawmill he invented the 'G-Force' vacuum cleaner. This subsequently evolved into the 'Dyson bagless, dual cyclone' vacuum cleaner. Dyson was astute enough to patent his cyclone technology inventions in 1980 before the product went into licensed production. This meant his ideas were protected by copyright law. Dyson has successfully defended his ideas under international copyright law on a number of occasions, most notably when in 1999, Hoover were forced by the High Court to pay £4,5 million in damages to Dyson for copying his ideas on their own 'Triple Vortex' bagless cleaners.

Since then Sir James Dyson and the Dyson company have succeeded in bringing a host of other innovative products to life including the 'ControRotator' washing machine (with two drums), the Dyson 'Airblade' electric hand dryer, Dyson Ball vacuum cleaner (inspired by his own previous Ballbarrow), the Dyson 'Air Multiplier' room fan heater and most recently the Dyson 'Supersonic' hair dryer.

Sir James Dyson

Dyson 'Ballbarrow'

Dyson Rotork 'Sea Truck'

Problems with early vacuum cleaners - Dyson's realisation

Dyson identified the following problems with bagged vacuum cleaners which he intended to solve with his own designs.

A very early bagged vacuum cleaner

Hoover dust contains pollen, bacteria and viruses as well as dust mites and their faeces!

Hoover bags are made of recycled paper. If the hoover sucks up any moisture the bag becomes wet and it will split open, spilling dust and dirt everywhere.

Dyson realised that the reason bagged hoovers stopped working properly was that the bags would become fully quickly and block the pores preventing air from moving through and losing vacuum suction.

It became accepted among consumers that losing suction was 'just what vacuum cleaners do'. Most never thought to question it and so accepted poor quality designs from existing manufacturers who were content to stay static and refused to innovate. Dyson's success forced companies to re-evaluate their products and innovate better.

Early Production

After 5127 prototypes, the G-Force went into full production in 1983. It was initially made under licence in Japan for another company but when Dyson was unable to get other manufacturers to produce the product (they were often unwilling to give up the lucrative consumables market provided by buying replacement paper dust bags), Dyson chose to manufacture the product in the UK by himself, setting a research facility and factory in Malmesbury in Wiltshire. In 1993, ten years after his original idea, full production started under the new Dyson brand.

G-Force Cleaner

Dyson DC01 (Note the similarity to the G-Force cleaner)

Dyson 'DC02' Portable Vacuum

Dyson AM01 'Air Multiplier'

Room Fan

Dyson 'DC25' Upright

Dyson RB01 360 'Heurist' Robot Vacuum

Characteristics of Dyson Products

Dyson products are characterised by their 'industrial' appearance. They are highly engineered products designed to be the best performing on the market. They are designed to compete as technological leaders.

Part of the individual styling of Dyson products is their 'honest' appeal. They entice the user to look inside and see how they work, indeed Dyson vacuums were the first to have see-through dust boxes made of acrylic. They have primary colours, intended to stand out, rather than fade into the background.

You can see the position of the 'cyclones' (the v-shaped cylinders) at the top of the machine. This is a styling feature too.

Dyson products are not developed 'on-price'. They are often more expensive than their competitors.

Development of the Cyclone Concept

Dyson are continually updating their technology and improving it. The image below illustrates the development of their 'cyclone' technology.

1993, Dyson DC01 - Upright Cleaner

The Dyson DC01 was a direct successor to the G-Force cleaner Dyson developed in 1980. The text below highlights some of its key innovations.

The vacuum cleaner is made from clear polycarbonate. The other parts are made from ABS, a strong, impact resistant, recyclable plastic. Subsequent products have included a carbon fibre composite material developed exclusively by Dyson.

A few of the early Dyson's suffered from poor sealing between the ill-fitting components resulting in dust escaping. This was eliminated by continued design improvements and manufacturing advancements.

A safety valve is positioned a the neck to stop any suction at the end of the hose until the wand is 'unclipped'.

The hose is 13 feet long (nearly 4 metres). This is plenty long enough for the majority of stairs in the UK preventing users from having to carry the heavy vacuum upstairs.

The hose was connected to the base of the machine for stability. When pulled along it would not topple over (potentially causing user injury).

In order to engage the 'brush bar', the user placed their foot on the curved indent on the base.

The DC01 innovated with three rows of brushes to improve 'pick-up' of dirt.

It had a self-adjusting head to get the hoover to adjust according to different floor types, e.g. carpet, hard floor,etc.

There was a rubber 'bumper' to stop the cleaner getting damaged if it was banged into an obstruction.

The dust collection container is clear so that the user can see inside. This way they know how full the cleaner is at any time and they can see it working.

Also this made the patented dual cyclone assembly visible - the most important innovation in the hoover was available for everyone to see.

The tools are stored ready to hand around the vacuum. This means that users don't have to look for them or remember where they put them when the need them.

1995, Dyson CR01 Contrarotator

The CR01 and the CR02 were the only attempts that Dyson made in the domestic washing machine market.

Dyson and his team had previously found during research that hand washing for 15 minutes was more effective than the typical 40 minute washing machine cycle at 60 degrees.

The CR01 was unique in that it was the only washing machine in history to have two drums. The ran in contrary directions to one another (hence contra-rotate). This was intended to replicate the motion and action of hand washing.

Dyson CR01 Contrarotator. It came in multiple, colour schemes. This was very unusual at the time.

Product Reception

Watch the original television advert for the CR01 washing machinewhich was released after 5 years development 2000. This was a typical advert for Dyson at the time, showcasing their confidence and technical prowess over the competition.

Here is a link to a newspaper article in the Independent which discussed the invention of the Contrarotator at the turn of the century in 2000.

Here is link to another article published by the Telegraph newspaper just twelve months after launch that drew attention to the negative publicity that the contrarotator was receiving. You will note that reference is made to the comparatively high cost that Dyson products are when compared with their rivals.

Whilst very effective products, they proved very expensive to manufacture and Dyson could not at the time manufacture them cost effectively and they ceased production in 2005 after being launched in 2000 just five years previously. The contrarotator was considerably more expensive than the competition and Dyson were unable to consistently prove that the contrarotator was more effective than others coasting less than half the price. There was a public backlash against the expense of Dyson products at the time and this did not help improve its consumer image in the press who reported news about Dyson as the company was still at the time a 'Great British' success story.

Watch this nice animation which illustrates the different washing modes in an electronically programmed modern washing machine.

As a final thought, consider how well constructed the Dyson washing machine was while watching this video testing one to destruction.

It also has good entertainment value. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!

1997, Dyson DC02 - Cylinder Cleaner

After the success of the DC01 upright vacuum, Dyson set to work on a small, portable, lightweight, quieter cylinder cleaner. The kind that is pulled along behind the user. The intent was to design a vacuum for international markets, such as Japan and for people who did not have the space or did not like using upright cleaners, such as the elderly.

They wanted the product to 'hug' the stairs, as opposed to just sitting on top of them inconveniently, ready to topple over. At the start of the project, they created a design specification and set out to meet the requirements set in it.

The DC02 Development Process

1). First they started with design sketches to illustrate the concept.

2). Balancing ideas about function, safety, reliability, aesthetics and cost is a complex process. Should any of these aspects change for any reason the whole design could be affected. During the design process, engineers make hundreds of different prototypes.

3). Models and prototypes are an excellent way of testing ideas and getting a good impression of how the product might work and look. Using a variety of types of prototypes such as cardboard modelling to help break the product down into separate components.

4). You can see how the base model has been added on to with additional components such as the dust collection bin.

5). Using blue modelling foam is a quick and relatively easy way of developing the form and aesthetics of a product.

6). 3D printing and other methods of additive manufacturing such as FDM (fuse deposition modelling)

7). User feedback is given and modifications are made to the models to improve them further.

Final sign-off is given and the tooling is developed for full production. Injection moulding is the process used for most complex plastic components.

Lets get a look inside a Dyson

Watch these disassembly and reassembly videos to see how they are engineered to be easy to maintain or repair with very few tools.

DC39 Disassembly Instructions

DC39 Reassembly Instructions

Turbine Head Disassembly

'Tangle-free' Tool Disassembly

2006, Dyson Airblade dB

The Airblade dB is an electric hand dryer.

Instead of using a wide jet of heated air, Dyson Airblade uses a thin layer of unheated air travelling at around 400 mph as a squeegee to remove water, rather than using heat to evaporate the water. The Dyson Airblade is claimed to dry hands in 10 seconds and to use less electricity than conventional (ordinary) hand dryers.

This low energy consumption and high efficiency has made it a popular replacement for conventional hand dryers in public and private washroom premises around the world.

The Airblade is not the first hand dryer to use this technology. The Japanese technology company Mitsubishi pioneered this technology in the 'Jet Towel' in 1993.

Note - the dB stands for decibel, a measurement unit of noise. This was intended to highlight to the user that the machine is quiet during operation.

Dyson also produce the Airblade V. This is the companies most compact hand dryer, designed for use in small spaces.

2009, Dyson 'Air Multiplier'

In 2009, Dyson released yet another innovative product into the consumer electronics market. The Air Multiplier was marketed as a blade-less fan (a clever marketing ploy as the fans are there, they are just hidden further down inside the lower body).

What makes the Air Multiplier special is the the annular ring that sits on the top of the fan and rotates. The ring has a hole on it for a unique reason. The 'multiplier' actually draws air from behind the fan using a principle called 'inducement' caused by something called the 'Venturi' effect. The smaller, slower air flow generated by the fan causes air to be pulled through the ring forcing more air through which in turn pulls more air through (and so the cycle continues). Dyson have calculated that the ring draws in up to 15 times more air by volume than is pushed through the assembly by the electric fan. This makes the fan extremely efficient.

Dyson 'AM02 Floor-Standing Air Multiplier'

This fun little video demonstrates (with flames and compressed air) how the Venturi effect works. This principle is what makes the 'air multiplier' so effective.

Dyson AM01 Tabletop Air Multiplier

Developing the Air Multiplier further. An engineering story.

Dyson, ever intent to further develop and refine their products realised that the first generation of air multipliers were not actually as quiet as they had hoped. Yes the airflow from the annular ring / fan section was quieter and less turbulent than bladed fans, but the shell casing / body of the fan was still quite loud. To this end they set about researching ways of making it even quieter and more efficient.

This process ended up being quite costly as is often the way with R&D (research and development). They spent about 48 million pounds and assigned 65 engineers to the project. Dyson's solution was extremely clever. They placed the working fan in an semi-anechoic (soundproof) chamber with 10 microphones positioned so that they could hear from every conceivable angle around the product. They found that there was a lot of turbulent airflow in the lower casing. To solve this they improved the airflow further and added very innovative features known as 'Helmholtz' resonator cavities in strategic positions in the casing. Sound moves around these chambers reducing in amplitude as they move around them. The Helmholtz cavities therefore act as dampeners reducing sound vibrations in the shell casing. Furthermore Dyson engineers specifically designed the cavities to dampen the 1000Hz frequency range which humans find to be particularly irritating.

All this investment in research resulted in the second generation of fan being three quarters (75%) quieter than the first generation design. In addition, they accidentally found that the motor needed 40% less power resulting in higher efficiency and less electricity wasted. Genius!

You can see the Helmholtz cavity at the base of the annular ring at the top of the body casing.

What is it like in an anechoic chamber? Watch and see.

2012, Dyson ''Airwrap' Curling Iron

The Airwrap uses an aerodynamic principle known as the 'coander' effect to pull the hair around it. The video below explains how it works.

The next video shows how the 'coander' effect is put to use in increasing the amount of airflow over an aircraft wing to 'artificially' give it more lift.

The Dyson Airwrap uses high velocity airflow which moves around the tongs pulling the hair towards the roller, setting it and curling it using gentle heat without damaging the hair.

This is a little video about how the products are 'engineered'.

2013, Dyson 'Corrale' Hair Straighteners

Taking 7 years to develop and finally released in 2020, using patented, flexing copper plates in combination with a silicone band, the 'corrale' hair straighteners aim to prevent damage to the hair of those people who regularly use this kind of product.

2014, Dyson 'Supersonic' Hair Dryer

In 2018, Dyson introduced their first consumer electronic hairdryer to the market. This was a logical development from the AM01 and AM02 air multiplier cooling fans. The key development that enabled the same technology to be scaled down to a product the size of a hair dryer was the 9th generation of their 'digital' brushless DC motor. Capable of rotating at up to 110,000rpm (revolutions per minute). This is more than seven times faster than a Formula 1 car engine! The other addition to the supersonic dryer was temperature sensors which 'poll' (collect) data about the air temperature and therefore the condition of the user's hair at 40Hz (40 times a second). Because of this, it is able to gain feedback and make micro-adjustments to the speed of the motor and temperature. This way hair doesn't become dry and brittle.

This video goes a little way to explaining how brush-less 'digital' DC motors work.

Here is an advertisment which showcase the Dyson technology behind the supersonic hairdryer.

And another, less 'geeky' one...

Product Reception

Inevitably upon launch, being a Dyson product the high cost of the product (again a product of extremely high levels of research and development and investment), there were questions asked of whether the product was worth the cost.

This time around, the press and wider consumer opinions were much more positive with the product receiving 'rave' reviews. See for yourself with these online video videos. Take them with a pinch of healthy cynicism though!

2018, Dyson Electric Vehicle

In 2018, Sir James Dyson announced that the company were actively working upon an independently development of a fully electric vehicle which used their own battery and motor technologies. The vehicle went on to be fully completed, however the project was abandoned in 2020 when Sir James Dyson annouced that the project had been scrapped as the company were unable to make the vehicle 'commercially viable'.

No images of the vehicle exist of the prototype electric vehicle in the public domain.

Dyson announced that the project was not seen as a failure by the company as many of the technologies that came out of it (particularly the battery) would see their way into future Dyson products.

As a result of withdrawing from the project, the Dyson company had to repay a UK government grant of £8 million pounds which helped them start their research.

A digital render to show how the proposed car would look. This was reproduced from line drawings within patents filed by Dyson to protect the intellectual property from misuse by other companies or individuals. The mock-ups were commissioned by Auto-Express magazine.

2020, Dyson CoVent

In 2020, the world underwent a pandemic spread of a disease called Covid-19, caused by a flu-like virus known as Coronavirus. The infection rate for this virus is far higher than most human-human spread viruses and it attacks the human immune system, causing fever-like symptoms and most significantly the bodies ability to breath and take on oxygen. This means that the most serious patients required artificial ventialtion in order the breath. Ventilators are relatively simple machines, however they have to be carefully managed and controlled to avoid causing serious damage to the patient's lungs (known as baro-trauma). To do this they require complex sensor equipment.

At the request of the UK government, Dyson spent over £20 million pounds developing a ventilator to aid the UK's NHS (National Health Service). Thankfully, the devices were not called upon in the end, however the technology developed was used in other applications.

A digital render to show how the ventilator would have looked in its proposed form.

What is life like as a Dyson engineer?

Watch the videos below to see what daily life is like in various engineering roles within the Dyson company.

A Design Engineer

An Aerodynamics Engineer

A Design Engineer

A Materials Engineer

An Electronics Engineer

An Acoustics Engineer

A Research Engineer

All of the above videos and explanations go a good way to explaining why first and foremost, Dyson is an engineering company. Each of their products are developed with combining engineering perfection with aesthetically beautiful industrial design. This is a philosophy Sir James Dyson has fostered in the company, its staff and its dedicated fan-base since the company's creation in 1993.

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