James Dyson, genius

After reading up on the new Dyson Air Multiplier (aka blade-less electric fan), I was left totally in awe of how unique the design is. James Dyson is known for improving everyday items by reinventing and re-engineering them with his out-of-the box  approach. His inventions have made millions pretty much by sucking and blowing air. GENIUS.

James Dyson is the guy that came up with the idea of bag-less cyclone vacuum cleaners. I have never really lived in a house with a lot of carpet, thus pretty ignorant when it comes to vacuums, so I can't testify to Dyson's superiority over the traditional Hoover styled vacuums. The Dyson upright vacuums also have this ball thing engineered into it to give them better maneuverability. Looks cool, but no clue if it actually makes a huge difference in terms of performance.

Dyson has a history of replacing wheels with balls in his designs. One of his lesser known inventions is the Ballbarrow. Instead of a wheel, there is a ball on the wheelbarrow. It's no longer manufactured but reviews on the web suggest that it's heaps better when rolling across rough terrain because the ball doesn't "dig" or get caught as easily. GENIUS.

James Dyson also came up with the Airblade hand dryer, which I really enjoy using. For those that haven't come across the Airblade in public toilets yet, it's a hand dryer that uses wind to push moisture off your hands instead of trying to evaporate it like in conventional dryers.  I think the Airblade rocks. It's fast, less noisy, and more energy efficient. You just can't argue with results. GENIUS.

The new bladeless fan is just as impressive. It looks nothing like anything you've seen before and the whole idea behind it is pretty far out. The Air Multiplier pretty much sucks air through a hoop to provide a constant breeze.  Think negative pressure like wings on an airplane. Supposedly, the cool breeze produced by the device is more comfortable than the choppy wind you get from normal electric fans.  Without the blades, you can stick your hands or even your head through it, thus making it totally child friendly.




Like most new products, the bladeless Air Multiplier doesn't come cheap, at $300 a pop. Time will only tell if this will be a success. The only issue I have is that James Dyson is trying to market this as an energy efficient alternative to air-conditioning. Yes, it'll be heaps cheaper to run, but the thing is still an electric fan. It may change the way we think how air blows, but it definately does not provide the frosty goodness of aircon on a sizzling hot summer day. Nevertheless, it's still GENIUS.

Regardless of whether if you think Dyson'a designs totally blow or suck, he'll probably take it as a compliment. If they perform better and are more efficient, why not? I reckon his ideas are totally refreshing.