James Dyson Explains How New Bladeless 'Air Multiplier' Fan Works
Well, there is a fan of sorts in the base of the unit, but it's off limits to users because it's totally enclosed.
"There's a motor in the bottom that powers a turbo-charged impeller," Dyson told Switched, when asked to explain how his latest creation works. "It's essentially a 3-D fan that gives a good combination of flow and pressure." According to Dyson, the air this powerful little fan creates is pushed up into that round thing at the top -- also known as the 'loop amplifier' -- which splits the flow in two and pushes it through the loop and out a 1.3 millimeter (about .05 inches) slit, or annulus, all along the back (don't worry, we had to look annulus up, too). This process creates a jet stream that sucks in air from the back and sides, creating a very powerful and smooth flow of air to cool kids, dogs and rooms alike, with no danger of injury.
Dyson came up with the idea when he noticed greater airflow being created by the extra air that was getting sucked into Dyson Airblade hand dryer. "It was an interesting principle," recalls the vacuum cleaner maestro. "I thought, 'let's develop this.'" So, he and his team decided to apply some of that process into the new 'fan.' Besides the obvious safety issues and the powerful airflow ("about 119 gallons a second," says Dyson), what are some of the other advantages of the air multiplier?
"The air it delivers is very smooth, like a nice breeze on your face," explains Dyson. "The blades on conventional fans chop up the air, which kind of slaps you in a rather unpleasant way and one of the main reasons people don't like to sit in front of fans." Really? Well, maybe kids and dogs still like to sit in front of fans, if only to make wacky and choppy vocal effects, or to cool off after a hot day outside (unfortunately, you won't get that weird chopped-up vocal effect with the smooth air of the Air Multiplier -- we tried it).
We're not sure many people are going to notice the difference between a conventional fan and the air multiplier in terms of the actual steadiness of the air stream, but we'll let you know if more than a half day with the thing reveals more on that particular feature. We did hear some slight buffeting in our ears with our conventional fan versus the Air Multiplier, but we're not sure it's a deal breaker for our standard, bladed fans, especially when the 10-inch model costs $300 (the 12-inch models go for $330).
That said, if you have kids, dogs, or cats, then you probably won't mind forking out the extra dough. "Children can stuff their heads into this if they want to," says Dyson. "My grand kids have already." If you don't believe him, check out the video below, in which a mom puts her baby right into the Dyson Air Multiplier (thanks, Daily Mail).
The lack of blades also means the Air Multiplier doesn't need to be cleaned or dusted (at least not heavily). We also like that it has a 'dimmer' switch instead of the usual slow, medium, and fast settings on conventional fans. This means you can set the intensity of the airflow to exactly what you need, instead of being forced into one of three speeds. And, like all Dyson products, it looks cool. For more pictures of the thing, check out the write-up and images on Engadget.
The Dyson Air Multiplier ($300-$329) is available now at The Conran Shop in New York, Luminaire in Chicago and Miami, and Twentieth in Los Angeles. It's not available online yet, but eventually you'll be able to find it on dyson.com, no doubt.
Earth-Friendly Home Appliances
Home appliances generally haven't been at the forefront of the green movement. While the Energy Star rating on some household gadgets has helped eco-warriors reduce their carbon footprint (and saved homeowners some money), it doesn't hold a candle to the devices that are designed to be green from the get-go. Switched.com decided to dig a little deeper – and found a dozen products that are truly earth-friendly.
1. Xeros washing machine
Though still a prototype, this new washer promises to clean clothes with just one cup of water and thousands of nylon beads that absorb dirt and stains, with a carbon footprint that's 40-percent less than the current most efficient washing machine. Initially, Xeros will only be available commercially, but the home market will follow soon after.
2. Equator 375 Refrigerator
This refrigerator/freezer only uses $50 of electricity per year. It's also quieter, since the components are sealed in. The downside is you'll have to manually defrost the freezer and -- at about six feet tall two feet wide -- it's a bit smaller than your average Frigidaire.
3. Aeromatic oven
It won't make dinner for four (well, not quickly), but this high-efficiency standalone oven will grill, broil, bake, fry, toast, steam and roast your smaller meals in about as much time as it would take to cook 'em in a microwave (but using about 80-percent less energy).
4. Bosch Evolution 800 Plus
Dishwashers are big energy hogs, but this Bosch model is 160-percent more efficient than traditional models -- with two eco-friendly modes and the capacity for 15 place settings. Be warned, though: Efficiency comes with a hefty $1,650-plus price tag.
5. Tankless Hot Water Heater
Ditch the old-fashioned water heater! Tankless systems can lower your costs and help you save time, as delivery of hot water is instantaneous. Up-front costs are high, though -- so it will be a while before you recoup the investment.
6. AO Smith Vertex 100
If you already have a tank water heater setup, the Vertex 100 is the way to go. It boasts a 90-percent efficiency rating, better than anything else on the market. That means a 30-percent savings on your utility bill.
7. Motion sensor lights
Parents! No longer will you have to yell at your children for leaving the lights on when they leave the room. The Levion Decora 150 switch senses when the room is empty and kills the lights, saving you money in the process.
8. Toilet Lid Sink
Wash your hands -- with toilet water? Well, technically, yes, but it's hygienic. As you flush, clean water from the tank is first sent through the spigot to dispense for hand-washing, then it heads down to finish its original mission. It may sound silly, but give this innovation a chance, especially considering that most of us flush our waste with pristine and clean fresh water, only to send it off to the sewer.
9. Santerra Green Composting Toilets
Poo and pee is 90-percent water. This toilet/composter evaporates your, um, 'business' then turns what's left into compost. It promises to be odorless and save water, which is nice -- but the required periodic maintenance and emptying gives us pause.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Thermalzeal said 9:39PM on 10-12-2009
LOL at Robert ^
Btw, the purpose of a wind turbine is to capture all of the energy of the wind. The best way to do this is to create surface area on which the the wind can act upon. The torque created by the long blades is what allows the blades to be driven for a while by just a single gust of wind.
Even if you did create a circular shaped turbine (think carpet dryer fan blades) the amount of material that you will use to house it along with the greater number of magnets and copper wire needed to generate the electricity will render it inefficient.
On to the fan, while I find Dyson to be more of "different" engineering along with great marketing, this fan's main selling point of being safer is kind of defeated by common sense mesh. If looking for a more consistent flow in your fan air look for a fan with more than the common three or four blades.
The fact of the matter is that while the format of the "wind production" is based off vacuum cleaners, vacuum cleaners are more about suction than moving and mixing air. 119 Gallons of air? I'm sorry, which engineering school did you go to? Wind speed is more commonly measured in CFM or cubic feet per minute or Normal Metric Liters per second. I think the 119 Gallons is an attempt to find a bigger number to throw on the box (good job marketing).
In all honesty, I give you 1 star Mr. Dyson. For someone vested in creating vacuum cleaners for a cleaner house, I would expect your product to have one primary focus, air quality. Give me a beautiful product that replaces the market of the ionic breeze (no ozone please) greater efficiency, no replaceable/consumable needing filters, and hey why not throw in some evaporative cooling.
I'm also still looking for a reasonable alternative to hand towels in the home (give me an airblade for home) and quite possibly a body/human sized one (towels are over-rated).
Reply
Tony G said 2:59PM on 10-13-2009
Jealousy is a deadly sin. What the hell have you done to make people go, "wow, thats an awesome idea!" huh? STFU until you can invent some thing equally as cool as this new fan you freakin dork...
Baker said 4:27PM on 10-13-2009
Thermalzeal - You obviously think you are just some sort of genius. Yes, air flow is normally given in CFM or a similar unit, but you really think that marketing was doing that to put a "bigger number on the box"? In case you couldn't figure it out, 119 gallons per second is equal to around 954 CFM. If it was a larger number they were looking for, I'm pretty sure they would have used CFM.
I think the idea is pretty cool in general. Like most brand new inventions, the price is way too high. I think if this were to catch on the price will be driven down like everything else. I'd like to see it in person to see how quiet it is compared to a normal fan, though.
richfa1 said 5:03PM on 10-13-2009
Thermalzeal (and sealtheboarder),
While you are right, COMPRESSED air is measured in Cubic Feet per Minute, UNCOMPRESSED air flows ARE measured in gallons.
Greef said 7:56PM on 10-13-2009
beta
banjo said 12:12PM on 10-28-2009
haha, someone s jealous lol
aboona joe said 2:33PM on 10-13-2009
this is sooooo -- hmmmm... do i dare say it? -- COOOOOL!
Reply
ricerocket602 said 8:21PM on 10-13-2009
Finally a fan that's redesigned! LOOKS GREAT, LOOKS COOL butttttttttttttttt, for 300.00+ dollars......You can take your great, cool invention and shove it. LMAOOOO......Yes, i do think it's awesome, safe, cool looking and all that jazz but I would not, NEVER spend 300.00 dollars on a fan. A ceiling fan, YES, but not some desk top stationary fan. You can buy a traditional fan for about 25.00 bucks. So why blow 300.00 on something like that.
I am not cheap, but Dyson's prices are to expensive! They need to consider people and pricing. Reduce pricing = more sales. I seel people all the time looking at Dyson's vacuums, wanting them and then grabbing a different make and model for 1/2 the price.
So to Dyson......reduce pricing, which increases sales and I will buy a few of those fans, but not for more than 100.00 each.
Peace out!!!
Reply
imhere2xcite said 4:46PM on 10-13-2009
It is pretty cool but for $300 come on guys,if you wanna get rich over night u need to invent something like...........umm.....umm.....i got it a phone better then the iphone
Keith said 3:08PM on 10-13-2009
The lady seemed more excited than the baby. But still pretty bodacious
Reply
sealtheboarder said 3:27PM on 10-13-2009
Yea, Dyson had to come out with something else (over priced) because his vacuums are selling very slowly......at $500 a pop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now a $300 fan...what a scam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
sealtheboarder said 3:30PM on 10-13-2009
Now if Dyson could only perfect the Flux Capacitor and hook it to the electro magnetic hydro dynamic drive (catapillar).....he would really have something.....
Reply
MR said 3:37PM on 10-13-2009
What is that song playing in the video??
I can tell it is a Brazilian song, but what is it called?
And yes, the fan (although overpriced) is super cool!
Reply
Rodeo said 4:42PM on 10-13-2009
The artist: Golden Boys
Track: Bermibau
skilakelbj said 3:56PM on 10-13-2009
'If you don't believe him, check out the video below, in which a mom puts her baby right into the Dyson Air Multiplier"
I didn't see her put the baby "right into" it! What sensationalism.
Reply
Linda said 4:15PM on 10-13-2009
Great product! Just another of your products I can't afford!!!
Reply
CoreyR said 4:31PM on 10-13-2009
Well, Mr Dyson is going to fail spectacularly. we are in a huge recession and he is cranking out WAY overpriced gadgets. Are they neat? Yes. Are they cool? Yes. Do they look nice? Yes. Are they usefull? Mildly. The bottom line is, we can get something else to do the same job for a whole lot less money. Good luck to you though. I can tell you I will not be shelling out $300 for something I can buy for $25.
Reply
magicjohnson said 4:23PM on 10-13-2009
Thermalzeal is the kind of douche who is just looking for attention and wants people to pay attention to him/her. That's why he/she has no friends, and that's why they don't like this fan.
Reply
Serendipitee12 said 4:24PM on 10-13-2009
BIG DEAL...Let me know when Dyson invents a flying car for $300, then I'll be impressed...
Reply
simpleminded8864 said 4:54PM on 10-13-2009
I want one!
Reply