Dyson unveils vacuum robot

Dyson has unveiled the Dyson 360 Eye vacuum, an intelligent robot that is capable of “seeing” its environment and finding dirt thanks to its 360 degree eye. The vacuum also has more suction power than many other robot vacuums on the market.

The Dyson 360 Eye uses technology you won’t find in any other robot vacuum. The unique 360Àö vision system lets the machine see all around the room at once so that it knows where it is and where it is yet to clean: a Dyson digital motor generates powerful suction: patented Dyson cyclones separate even the smallest particles of dust and dirt from the airflow: a full width brush bar allows maximum cleaning coverage: and continuous tank tracks maintain its speed and direction across all floor types.

Before: Get up. Go to work. Brave the commute home. Lug the heavy vacuum out of the closet. Unwind the cord. Pull it around and do the vacuuming. Hassle.

After: Get up. Go to work, and on the way, use your smart phone to schedule the Dyson 360 Eye vacuum to clean your home. Brave the commute. Come home to a clean house. Relax.

The Dyson 360 Eye robot vacuum will go on sale in Japan in spring 2015, with the rest of the world to follow later in the year.

Most robotic vacuum cleaners don’t see their environment, have little suction, and don’t clean properly,” says James Dyson. They are gimmicks. We’ve been developing a unique 360¬∞ vision system that lets our robot see where it is, where it has been, and where it is yet to clean. Vision, combined with our high speed digital motor and cyclone technology, is the key to achieving a high performing robot vacuum – a genuine labour saving device.

Existing robot vacuums can have several problems:

Problem: Other robotic vacuums often neglect cleaning performance. In order to conserve battery life, they use weak, inefficient motors, meaning they have poor suction and pick up less dirt.

Solution: Powered by the energy efficient V2 Dyson digital motor, the Dyson 360 Eye vacuum uses Radial Root Cyclone technology to effectively separate dust and dirt, capturing particles down to 0.5 microns – 600 times smaller than the dot at the end of this sentence.

Problem: Without vision, many robots rely on blindly feeling out their environment and end up missing patches.

Solution: The Dyson 360 Eye vacuum sees its environment using a unique 360° vision system, and then builds a detailed floor plan to intelligently and systematically navigate around a room and tracks its position.

Infrared sensors work in conjunction with a lens on the top of the machine that houses a 360° panoramic camera. The camera can see all the room so the machine can accurately triangulate its position. It then uses landmarks within the images to establish how it has moved between each frame and update its model of the environment accordingly.

Problem: Reliant on rotating sweepers to clear dirt, other robotic vacuums end up merely flicking particles around.

Solution: The brush bar on the Dyson 360 Eye vacuum extends to the full width of the machine, meaning that it doesn’t rely on side sweepers to reach the edges of the room. It uses patented carbon fibre brush bar technology to remove fine dust on hard floors, and stiff nylon bristles to agitate and clean carpets.

Problem: Other robots employ wheels to get around, so they struggle to overcome obstacles and traverse different floor types.

Solution: Like an all-terrain vehicle, continuous tank tracks enable the Dyson 360 Eye robot vacuum to maintain speed and direction across all floor types, and over small obstacles.

Dyson Link App: A new Dyson-developed app for iOS and Android will let Dyson owners keep on top of the cleaning – even if they are out of the house. They can even schedule the machine if out of the country and on holiday – returning from vacation to a clean home. Set up a single clean or a recurrent cleaning schedule at the flick of a button.

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