Dyson may be about to reveal a robot vacuum cleaner (video)

28 Aug 2014

Celebrated inventor James Dyson may have a trick up his sleeve with a new product set to be revealed next week. A video posted by the company indicates it could be a robotic vacuum cleaner.

Until now, this particular market space has been dominated by players such as iRobot and its Roomba.

Anyone who can attest to the quality and performance of Dyson’s vacuum cleaners would eagerly welcome the onset of a robot Dyson machine!

Dyson has been working on a mysterious project enigmatically entitled ‘Project N223’.

Dyson has been researching robotics for the past 16 years and since 2005 it has been working with Imperial College London to develop machines that use vision to logically navigate their surroundings.

Earlier this year, Dyson invested a further stg£5m in a joint robotics lab with Imperial College London.

A new video that went online yesterday flirtingly suggested a new technology is about to be launched, marking the culmination of 16 years of research, the work of 200 engineers and some stg£28m in investment.

The video shows engineers interacting with a machine on the ground that is viewing them through a camera. Meanwhile, small robots can be seen in the background, whirring around on the floor of the lab.

The machine that shimmies off to the right of the screen with a strong sense of purpose appears to have a green base with Dyson’s signature radial cyclones housed on the roof in a shimmery purple colour.

The date 4 September then appears on the screen followed by the Dyson logo.

Are our prayers about to be answered? Only Dyson knows.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com