Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Dyson lifts lid on ‘top secret’ project

By

Dyson recently revealed a “top secret” project it’s been working on that involves robots for household chores.

While it already has some robotics experience thanks to its 360 Heurist robovac, the British company says it’s planning to deploy new engineering teams in the U.K. and Singapore tasked with developing a range of domestic robots.

Recommended Videos

Jake Dyson, son of the company’s founder, James Dyson, touched on the firm’s roadmap in a video (below) shot at its base in the Wiltshire countryside about 70 miles west of London.

Although he described the robotics project as top secret, Dyson acknowledged that for the company to attract top engineers — it’s aiming to hire 700 in all — it needed to lift the lid on its ambitions in the increasingly competitive sector.

Related

So the video offers a glimpse of several of the household robots in development. There’s one clutching a dinner plate and another handling a soft toy. Admittedly, such efforts hardly seem groundbreaking, but the inclusion in the video of some pixelated footage suggests the company would rather keep its best work out of sight for now.

During a tour of one of the company’s current robot-focused facilities, Dyson takes us into “the arm room” and “the perception lab,” where several engineers offer a few words about their work.

“We’ve trying to achieve something that’s very very complex that no one has achieved so far,” one engineer says. Comments like that suggest Dyson has its work cut out, but if it can pull it off and come up with genuinely useful robots capable of efficiently performing a range of household tasks, the rewards could be huge.

What it doesn’t want is a repeat of the difficulties it experienced with its proposed electric car, a project that it unveiled in 2017 but abandoned two years later after spending an estimated $3 billion. James Dyson said at the time that his team had built a “fantastic” electric car but that the company had decided to end its development because it was “not commercially viable.”

The field of robotics clearly presents a different kind of challenge, but with Dyson having the advantage of being able to apply its existing research to the development of new household devices, it appears to have a more realistic chance of making tangible progress with its latest endeavor.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo vs. Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni: what’s new on the X2 Combo?
Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni AIO robot vacuum and mop with dock sponsored

The Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo is the latest product to join the Deebot lineup. It's fairly unique compared to other robot vacuums in the family, as it bundles a cordless vacuum with the docking station and robot vacuum -- making it an all-in-one bundle for keeping your floors clean.

But aside from the inclusion of a cordless vacuum, what exactly is different between the new X2 Combo and the old X2 Omni? More importantly, should X2 Omni owners feel the need to upgrade? Here's a closer look at the X2 Combo and X2 Omni to help you decide which is best for your smart home.
Pricing and availability

Read more
iRobot launches affordable robot vacuum and mop combo that costs just $275
The iRobot Roomba Combo Essential mopping a floor.

iRobot is one of the most popular manufacturers of robot vacuums, but much of its lineup is locked behind hefty price tags. One of our favorite robot vacuums, the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, for example, clocks in at $1,400 -- making it a pricey proposition for most households. That's changing today, however, as the brand has officially launched the Roomba Combo Essential, which costs just $250 and offers many of the same features found in its expensive siblings.

The Roomba Combo Essential Robot is a robot vacuum and mop that's billed as an upgrade to the old Roomba 600 Series. It uses a V-shaped roller brush to minimize tangles while vacuuming, offers three different suction levels for customized performance, and uses an edge sweeping brush to better clean baseboards and crevices. It's a similar story for mopping, as you can choose between three different water levels for cleaning hard floors.

Read more
Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra vs. Roborock S8 Pro Ultra: Which is the best robot vacuum?
The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra placed in its dock.

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra and Roborock S8 Pro Ultra share a lot of similarities -- the least of which is their brand name. Along with the capacity to vacuum and mop in a single cleaning cycle, the two robots can automatically empty their dustbins and clean their dirty mops once the cycle is complete. That alone makes them two of the best robot vacuums on the market.

But while there are plenty of similarities between the S8 MaxV Ultra and S8 Pro Ultra, there are a few key differences that could make one better for your home than the other. From pricing and vacuuming power to navigational skills and more, here's a comprehensive look at the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra and Roborock S8 Pro Ultra.
Pricing and availability

Read more