Archive for the ‘Dyson’ Category

Must… resist… obvious Dyson vacuum/fan joke…

Dyson, the makers of the trendiest vacuum cleaners around, have switched modes. Enter the Dyson Air Multiplier, a fan that utilizes the same bladeless technology as the Dyson vacuum. Thing looks like a freaking jet engine sitting on your desk. A jet engine that keeps you cool, that is. John already got to check one out.

Have you ever noticed how when you’re in front of a regular fan, the air hits you all choppy and irregular? Me neither, but it must be big enough of a problem for Dyson to make this thing. The jokes aside, this thing has some pretty big upsides. The Air Multiplier can push out 119 gallons of air per second at a significantly less amount of power than needed for an air conditioning unit. The airfoil design amplifies the air stream by 15 times the intake amount.

Sir James Dyson himself showed off the new device. I can only assume he was knighted for his vacuum cleaner innovations. Who would have thought?

The airstream is fully adjustable, and the device pans and tilts to deliver that soothing feeling wherever you need it. It comes in a 10 in and 12 in option at $299.99 and $329.99 respectively.

DIY Dyson-like workshop vacuum

The core concept behind the Dyson vacuums are nothing new. In fact workshoppers have been using similar, but a whole lot more simple versions, to take some load off of their expensive dust collection units for years. Either you buy one, or you spend some quality time with some PVC pipes and make your own.

Hack A Day describes them best,

A cyclonic separator is used in workshops to keep larger cruft out of the dust collection system. The airflow inside a separator creates a vortex that flings heavier bits and particles to the periphery of the chamber, where they settle out the bottom, while relatively clean air escapes the vacuum port at the top. This makes for fewer filter changes and a more consistent pull from the vacuum.

Rocker sells an Oneida system that costs $99.99 that includes a bucket or you can opt for just the cyclone system for $59.99. Or, you can spend a lot less and make your own by following this Instructable. I’m actually going to make one of these this weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Dyson’s Air Multiplier is the overpriced bladeless fan you never asked for

We can’t fault Dyson for chutzpah. After putting the company’s spin on vacuum cleaners and then hand dryers, we probably should’ve guessed that a revolution in table fan engineering was next up. When we first saw an image of the Dyson Air Multiplier “bladeless fan” a few spurious theories popped into our heads as to how it works, but it didn’t take long to figure it out: it has blades in it. It’s just that these blades are inside the lower canister, rather similar to, dare we say it, how a vacuum cleaner is set up, with the air then routed through the ring up top. The benefits of this tech are that there are no nasty blades to get fingers caught up in, but also that there’s no “buffeting” — that on-off gush of air caused by fan blades unceremoniously chopping up the air into inelegant segments. Unfortunately, the downside of the Dyson method is that you can’t make Darth Vader voices through the backside of the fan, and the whole assembly is closer in noise pollution to that of an actual vacuum cleaner than a regular table fan. And then there’s the matter of price: $300 for the 10-inch model, $330 for the 12-inch, and neither of them offer nearly as much wind as a regular fan this size — quite a steep entry fee for the gentle breezes that emanate out of this plastic wind tunnel. Full PR is after the break.

Continue reading Dyson’s Air Multiplier is the overpriced bladeless fan you never asked for

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Dyson’s Air Multiplier is the overpriced bladeless fan you never asked for originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Look: Dyson’s Blade-Free Wonder Fan Blows Our Minds

James Dyson has a fetish for making unusual products: everything from vacuums that suck (in a good way) to hand dryers that blow (also in a good way), each use a clever combo of eye-catching design along with innovative methods of compressing and dispensing air. But even we in the Lab weren’t prepared for the WTF moment when we pulled Dyson’s blade-less Air Multiplier fan from its packaging.

The thing should not work. A gust of air should not be coming form this giant blue Froot Loop. But upon closer inspection, all that’s at work here is some clever engineering tricks. The unit is essentially one of Dyson’s vacuum cleaners working in reverse. The gray base station sucks up air and forces it through the circular blue thing that sits atop the rig. When the air jets through the front of the circle, it creates a suction behind and to the sides that draws more air through the loop and makes the fan more powerful. Dyson claims the Multiplier increases pressure15-fold and spews 118 gallons of air every minute. To get a better idea of how it works, checkout this bullshit artist rendering:

The fan’s operation is really quite amazing. Not only is it eye catching — everyone at the Wired office today was slack jawed by its striking build and apparent miraculous tempest — but the thing runs quiet too. There’s virtually no operating noise aside from the light hum of the engine and whoosh of the blowing gas. And it’s especially safe for worrisome parents who fret about junior getting his precious digits mangled by a high RPM spinning plastic blade.

The only thing we don’t like about the fan? (Aside from the ridiculously high price tag.)  There’s no emulating Darth Vader’s voice with this thing. I mean, how would it work in a Tommy Boy remake?

The Air Multiplier will go on sale on this fall and will cost $300 – $330.

See Also:

• Dyson Perfects the Clothesline
• Dyson DC-24 Vacuum Sucks Like No Other
• Mechanized Floor Lamp Puts on a Brilliant Light Show

Photo by Jim Merithew for Wired.com

Video Review: The Dyson Air Multiplier

And you thought fans were boring. This new table fan by Dyson features a bladeless design that seems to be a first in the “things that blow stuff industry.” I’m quite impressed.

A large ring channels the air through a very thin slit and over a specially designed surface. The result is a jet of cool air. There are three controls – on/off, speed, and oscillation – and it can bend up and down for more precise targeting.

Here’s what Dyson says about it:

How it works: inducement and entrainment
Air is drawn into the base of the machine. The air is forced up into the loop amplifier and accelerated through the 1.3mm annular aperture, creating a jet of air that hugs the airfoil- shaped ramp. While exiting the loop amplifier, the jet pulls air from behind the fan into the airflow (inducement). At the same time, the surrounding air from the front and sides of the machine are forced into the air stream (entrainment), amplifying it 15 times. The result is a constant uninterrupted flow of cooling air.

Generally this is just a fan, but it’s well-designed and very cool so it’s worth a second look. No price right now but it’s interesting that they decided to launch right now. Presumably people would already have bought their fans if they launched in the Spring? Or do they know something about global warming that we don’t…

Now for the bad news: this fan costs $299 for the 10-inch model and $329 for the 12-inch. It will be available from a number of higher end shops and you can read more about it at Dyson.com. I guess you have to pay a price for blowing air the classy way.

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