James Dyson design

James Dyson design

Introduction

James Dyson is a British industrial designer, entrepreneur, and investor who has manufactured household appliances innovatively. He is a campaigner who is determined to restore technical innovation and engineering to its high esteem in society. He is the chief executive officer and the founder of Fyson Ltd (Dickson, 2016, p.1). His work focuses on the principle of cyclonic separation, which helped him to invent the dual cyclone vacuum cleaner that is bagless. Before venturing into engineering, he had schooled at Gresham school and Byam Shaw School of Art before studying furniture as well as interior design at the royal art college (Crewe, 2014, p. 1). This paper will analyze James Dyson’s designs and inventions through a design methodology based on his models and his designer’s output.

Dyson’s early designs

James Dyson played a very significant in helping to design the seat ruck in1970. This was a high speed, flat hulled watercraft that is similar to landing craft. It was made of fiberglass that can also be used to land cars without harbor facilities or jetties (Shambler,  2019, p.1). During this time, Dyson was a student at the Royal College, and Tim Fry and Smallhorn Anthony led the design. Dyson’s contribution was mainly to build the prototype. From the invention, Dyson said that he learned not to prioritize convectional appearances in his projects. The sea truck was adopted for use by the construction and oil industries as well as used by the military. Later, Dyson invented a ball barrow with was a modified wheelbarrow that used a ball instead of the wheel in 1974 (Roy, 2016, p. 3). In this design, hopper made of plastic was molded on a spherical wheel and a steel frame, and this facilitated increased maneuverability of the ball barrow. According to Dyson, the ball’s surface area was more significant than that of the conventional design, and this played a very vital role in making the wheelbarrow more comfortable to use and more stable. The ball barrow concept was later used by Dyson to design a trolley boat which was used to launch boats in 1978 (Sukel, 2018, p. 44). He then developed a wheel boat that could travel at a speed of 64 km/h on both water and land (Sukel, 2018, p. 44).

The vacuum cleaner

Dyson came up with an idea of using cyclonic separation to make a vacuum cleaner in the late 1970s (Holehouse, 2015, p.1). Cyclonic separation refers to a method of removing particles from a gas, a liquid, or air without using filters. The technology makes use of vortex separation. When the particles are being removed from a liquid, the hydro cyclone is used. If the particles are being removed from a gas, a cyclone is used. Gravity and rotational effects are used to separate the mixtures, and this was the basis of Dyson’s vacuum cleaner. Dyson’s vacuum cleaner would not be in a position to lose suction in the process of picking dirt (Sukel, 2018, p. 44). He came up with the idea after being frustrated by Hoover’s junior vacuum cleaner he had bought when it lost suction, and its bags tore open. The cyclone idea was a product from a sawmill that made use of cyclone technology. He created a cardboard prototype which he strapped onto his machine. The machine was able to pick more dust, and this kept him moving. He made 5 000 prototypes, and after fifteen years, he came up with a bagless vacuum cleaner (Swinford, 2014, p.1).

The G force cleaner was launched in 1983. Distributors and manufacturers in the UK were not ready to handle Dyson’s product, especially in the UK. This prompted Dyson to launch his product in Japan with the help of catalog sales (Swinford, 2014). The G force was sold at the cost of $ 2,000. Dyson filed several patents for his vacuum cleaner (Sukel, 2018, p. 44). After ten years after the initial idea, Dyson’s breakthrough in the UK market has since been evidenced. The vacuum cleaner is different from most of its competitors in that it does not require replacement of the bags. The product goes with the slogan, “say goodbye to the bag.” It, therefore, proves to be more attractive than rival shows (Duffy, 2019, P. 13). This has made Dyson vacuum cleaners to be the market leaders in the US by their value.

After the success of Dyson’s technology, other manufacturers of vacuum cleaners have started to market their cyclonic vacuum cleaners. This made Dyson sue Hoover (UK) for their patent infringement. This was after Hoover copied a very fundamental part of Dyson’s vacuum cleaner (Duffy, 2019, P. 12).

Other inventions

In 2005, Dyson was able to incorporate the wheel ball from his previous ball barrow concept into a cleaner by the design of Dyson ball (Frommer, 2018, p. 1). This ball was not like the static wheels that existed on vacuums. It played a very significant role in making it more steerable, and this facilitated smooth navigation around corners and obstacles.in 2014, Dyson went to Tokyo to introduce the 360 eye vacuum cleaner that is robotic (Frommer, 2018, p. 1). His initial entry in the market featured 360⁰ mappings and scanning for navigation as well as cyclonic dust separation (Dyson, 2019, p. 1). It is a digital motor that is custom-designed to facilitate high suction

It has a tank tread for traction purposes and a full-width brush roll as well as a user interface through a free android app or iOS. In 2000, Dyson made a very significant technological move by expanding his appliance for the inclusion of a washing machine that was called the contra Rotator.it was made up of two drums that were rotating in the opposite direction (Rashiwala, 2019, p.1). It was also decorated with bright colors due to unsuccessful commercial appearance; the washing machine is no longer available in the market.

In 2001, Dyson came up with optical illusions that are depicted in lithographs of MC, Escher, a Dutch artist (Sukel, 2018, p. 42). He also invented a Dyson Air blade, which is a fast hand drier that makes use of a thin sheet of air that is moving to remove water without evaporation by application of heat. The invention has allowed fast-drying using less energy than the traditional driers. A fan without external blades is another product invented by James Dyson. The product was launched in 2009, with the name: the air multiplier (Shambler, 2019, p. 1). The product also distributes the produced heat together with the production of the cooling effect. Another model of an ultrasonic humidifier is also present in the market. Dyson supersonic hair drier is another product of Dyson’s invention; it has a motor that is located in its handle for better balancing considering its small size. This product was launched in 2016, and it is still available in the market (Sukel, 2018, p. 43).

Research and development

Dyson invests heavily in research to advance his inventions. In 2017, for example, he spent more than £ 7 million per week on the development and analysis of his new products (Robert, 2000, p. 1). His company has been one of the biggest investors in robotics, as well as artificial intelligence research. It has employed more than 3,500 engineers as well as scientists. He has also been engaged in research programs in more than forty university programs of study (Life’s Work, 2014, p.1). His interests have been researching on new technology and how technology can be used to solve individuals’ problems.

Conclusion

In conclusion, James Dyson has played very significant roles in innovation, invention, and use of technology. In Fyson Ltd, where he is the CEO and founder, he has designed numerous products since the early 1970s. Dyson invented a ball barrow with was a modified wheelbarrow that used a ball instead of the wheel in 1974. In this design, hopper made of plastic was molded on a spherical wheel and a steel frame, and this facilitated increased maneuverability of the ball barrow. Dyson came up with an idea of using cyclonic separation to make a vacuum cleaner in the late 1970s. Cyclonic separation refers to a method of removing particles from a gas, a liquid, or air without using filters, which was later advanced into a vacuum cleaner. Other than the invention of other products, Dyson has invested in research and development significantly for technological advancement.