Forget vacuum cleaners! Dyson is secretly developing ROBOTS to carry out household chores – including tidying up toys and doing the dishes
- Dyson has given a glimpse at its robotics unit in a new video today
- Details on the robots remain sparse, although they have hands to grasp objects
- This could let them do the dishes, pick up toys, and find lost coins down the sofa
- Along with the development of the new robots, Dyson is recruiting 250 robotics engineers, and expects to hire 700 more in the next five years
While Dyson is best known for its vacuum cleaners and hairdryers, the tech giant has revealed that it is secretly developing a range of futuristic robots.
The robots are designed to carry out a variety of household chores, including tidying up toys and doing the dishes.
Dyson has given a glimpse of the new robot prototypes in a video released at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Philadelphia today.
Jake Dyson, Chief Engineer at Dyson, said: ‘There’s a big future in robotics and saving people time, performing chores for people, and improving daily lives.
‘I’m a parent, I spend half my life cleaning up after my kids, and it’s pretty tedious.’
While Dyson is best known for its vacuum cleaners and hairdryers, the tech giant has revealed that it is secretly developing a range of futuristic robots
Dyson’s Zone headphones have a built-in air purifier
Dyson has created a bizarre set of headphones that include a purifying visor designed to help people avoid polluted air in cities.
Called the Dyson Zone, the wearable device combines noise-cancelling over-ear headphones and a visor that sits just in front of the nose and mouth, delivering filtered air.
In tests, Dyson Zone successfully filtered two virus types from the air, although it wasn’t tested on SARS‑CoV‑2, the virus that causes Covid.
The British technology firm said the device has been created in response to growing concerns about air and sound pollution in urban areas.
Until now, Dyson’s robots have been floor-based vacuum cleaners – the first of which, the DC06, was designed 20 years ago.
‘We’ve been working for about 20 years now on floor car robots, which are puck format robots,’ Mr Dyson said.
‘But aside from that, we’ve been doing a lot of research into robotics, which no one’s aware of.’
Now, the tech giant has given a glimpse into its ambitious plans for advanced robotics, which are being worked on at Hullavington Airfield in Wiltshire.
While details on the robots remain sparse, the video shows that they will feature robotic hands that can grasp objects.
This could allow them to do the dishes, pick up toys, and even find lost coins or crisps hidden beneath the sofa cushions.
Showing one of the ‘exciting’ robots in action in the video, Mr Dyson said: ‘What this arm is doing is it’s able to map the chair in three dimensions.
‘So this means I’ll never, ever find crisps down the back of my sofa again!’
Along with the development of the new robots, Dyson is recruiting 250 robotics engineers, and expects to hire 700 more in the next five years.
‘Dyson employed its first roboticist 20 years ago and this year alone we are seeking 250 more experts for our team,’ Mr Dyson said.
‘This is a “big bet” on future robotic technology that will drive research across the whole of Dyson, in areas including mechanical engineering, vision systems, machine learning and energy storage.
‘We need the very best people in the world to come and join us now.’
Mr Dyson added that he believes robots are the ‘future of Dyson.’
‘We’re looking forward to a ten year lens, and further,’ he said.
The news comes shortly after Dyson unveiled a bizarre set of headphones that include a purifying visor designed to help people avoid polluted air in cities.
Along with the development of the new robots, Dyson is recruiting 250 robotics engineers, and expects to hire 700 more in the next five years
Called the Dyson Zone, the wearable device combines noise-cancelling over-ear headphones and a visor that sits just in front of the nose and mouth, delivering filtered air.
In tests, Dyson Zone successfully filtered two virus types from the air, although it wasn’t tested on SARS‑CoV‑2, the virus that causes Covid.
The British technology firm said the device has been created in response to growing concerns about air and sound pollution in urban areas.
Dyson Zone – the firm’s first wearable – will go on sale in the autumn, although a price is yet to be confirmed.
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