When someone asks for a tech recommendation, we almost always answer with one question: What’s your budget? It’s as true with vacuum cleaners as anything else. You can get a very good one for not too much money. That is the best option for most people. But those people aren’t Dyson people.
The Dyson vacuum cleaner is almost in a category of its own – a product for people who need the sports car equivalent of a home appliance for whatever reason. I don’t knock on it. I have a very visceral memory of driving a premium car for the first time, and it’s a lot like the first time I fired up a Dyson vacuum cleaner. It’s suddenly like, “oh, I get it.” I didn’t know until then that I wanted a vacuum cleaner with recoil.
This morning (at least in Singapore), the company announced a refresh of its vacuum and air purifiers. The listing includes a new robot vacuum, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav, which he says has “twice the suction power of any other” robot vacuum. As the name suggests, the vision/navigation systems are the most interesting additions to the high-end Roomba competitor, including a 360-degree camera with a fish-eye lens for a better view of the room being cleaned. The company also talks about edge detection here, noting that the system can recognize its position within 71mm.
Image Credits: Dyson
“Robotics, sensing, intelligence, these are all areas that are usually thought of as ‘future technology’, but at Dyson they have long been part of product development,” says CTO John Churchill. “Our engineers have and continue to use these technologies to reduce the cognitive load on our owners, saving time, energy and effort in maintaining a healthy home – a true set-and-forget mindset. Our vision for the future is a house that can take care of itself. The new technologies launched today are the epitome of that.”
Almost exactly a year ago, Dyson revealed that it has been dumping a lot of money into robotics research, including the addition of a large lab in Singapore. It has showcased some early concepts for home robots, but so far robot vacuum cleaners remain the biggest game in the space.
Image Credits: Dyson
As for manual vacuum cleaners, there are the wireless devices Gen5detect and Gen5outsize, which have improved filtration systems and a battery that the company says can last up to 70 minutes on a charge. Battery life has long been a specter for the line. Also new are the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine and Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine vacuums, which have wet rollers for hard floors. The Dyson Purifier Big + Quiet Formaldehyde purifier, meanwhile, has a 360-degree particulate filter that the company says will capture up to 99.95% of pollutants.
The Gen5detect and Gen5outsize will be available June 6 for $949 and $1,049 respectively. No date or price yet for the others.
