Dyson Medic

Dyson is poised to launch, on September the 4th, a robot vacuum cleaner. You heard it here at Dyson Medic first folks!

Dyson is teasing that they will be announcing ‘secret project N223’ on September 4th in a video posted on YouTube.

From the looks of it, it appears to be the robotic vacuum cleaner that Dyson has clearly stated that they have been working on for over a decade.

They once made a robotic vacuum called the DC06 back in 2001, but it was never properly launched, and ended up being shelved.

Do you know what the DC06 was? No, thought not. 

Back in 2001, Dyson built, demonstrated and showed off a robot vacuum cleaner they called the DC06. Here is James Dyson explaining why it never happened way back in 2004.



Dyson got usurped by Roomba’s iRobot. Roomba was a hard act to follow. Even we have an iRobot at home to do the hard floors downstairs.  

However, it has taken thirteen or so years (there was no Dyson DC13 – is that an omen?) and Dyson are ready to launch something new. The call it the Dyson project N223. Watch the teaser:



Does that look like a robot to you? I think so. Others seem to agree.

Dyson isn’t saying exactly what “Project N223″ is just yet, but the company has been spending a lot on robotics over the years.

They recently made a £5 million investment into robotic vision research, which was conducted with the Imperial College London.

Even prior to this investment, Dyson has been engaged in a fifteen year project studying systems that allow robotic devices to see and analyse their surroundings, which has clear benefits for robot vacuum cleaners.

If you look at the interview with Max Conze, Dyson’s CEO, the Roomba iRobot is mentioned. 

While the company continues to unveil innovations to its upright and cordless vacuum products to compete with the likes of Hoover and iRobot’s Roomba, it also has its eyes on one day being a player in the connected home via its investments in robotic technology. Dyson could also one day open flagship stores of its own, according to CEO Max Conze.

Clearly, we are being primed for something. 

The only snippet of information to accompany the mysterious video above, reads: “Sixteen years. 200 engineers. £28 million investment. The result? Tell us what you think it is.”

Dyson filed in 2012 a patent in America that was only published in 2014: Dyson’s Autonomous Vacuum Cleaner Patent.

The drawings on the patent appear to be the long-shelved DC06, but that is all that is needed to re-establish the patent. 

My money is on a robotic vacuum that instead of using the ‘flick up the dirt’ technique as used by Roomba, will employ some suction and a cyclone of some kind. I expect a derivative of the technology used in the hand held Dysons. 

Its took them a long time, so the results should be worth it we hope. 

Should you buy one? 

There is a question. My answer would be not yet.

Let the hype die down, let the price drop, let the faults that always surface with new designs get fixed first. In two or three years, they will likely be on their fourth revision and will be approaching an alright machine if recent performance is anything to go by.

Although, be aware, Dyson’s recent policy is not being willing to supply spare parts for some of their machines, as many have witnessed first hand with hand dryers. So the warranty needs to be five years and not the more usual one or two years as we see with some products.

After thirteen years since the DC06 that never was, they have had time to get it right. Lets hope they have.

Remember, you heard it here first.