Dyson V15 Vacuum Cleaner

[cemelec]

I have a lot of respect for James Dyson, but one of his latest creations, the V15 Vacuum Cleaner, is pushing my credibility a bit far.

It claims to use a "Laser Technology" to detect, size and count dust particles, and display them on a mini histogram on a display mounted on the cleaner.



I'm into anything high tech, but this seems a bit of a stretch even for me.  Like most people, I like clean floors and carpets, but is this for suckers with more money than sense?

[Raj]

I have a lot of respect for James Dyson, but one of his latest creations, the V15 Vacuum Cleaner, is pushing my credibility a bit far.

It claims to use a "Laser Technology" to detect, size and count dust particles, and display them on a mini histogram on a display mounted on the cleaner.



I'm into anything high tech, but this seems a bit of a stretch even for me.  Like most people, I like clean floors and carpets, but is this for suckers with more money than sense?

It's true that it isn't high tech, but it's possible...
Your take is wrong too.
What it is, a laser moving from left to right (or the opposite direction) at high speed. Maybe achieved using rotating mirror or galvo, similar to how bar code readers used to project a line by using a point laser. Or maybe even a simple fixed lens to have a simple flat line projection

Why laser? cause it's a point source of light, the smaller the light source, the clearer the shadows. you can probably make the projector yourself.
OFC your floor needs to be reasonably flat for it to work
But I bet the computer will fail in 5 years, and they'll blame it on something like eeprom with too many writes or failing lcd glue or the acoustic sensor getting sucked along with stuff or something, and you won't be able to fix it, cause they don't provide spares anymore.

[Gyro]

Why would anyone deliberately design something with bearings running at 125k rpm? 

[SiliconWizard]

Particle sensors are nothing new and used in many applications including estimating air quality.
Now claiming to be able to distinguish particle size in any relevant way sounds a bit too much. It's likely close to bullshit. Or maybe it can roughly distinguish between two ranges of particle size, I'd doubt something more subtle than this. A histogram? Yeah right.

But giving you a particle count per unit of volume, sure. Now people sensitive/allergic to dust had better invest in a proper air quality sensor rather than wait for their vacuum cleaner to tell them. Just a thought.

[Cyberdragon]

What is the point? Why do we need to care how dirty the floor is before we clean it? A vacuum cleaner is meant to clean the surface, IDC how dirty it was before the machine should do it's job and get it clean. What is it going to do, tell you that it isn't clean yet? Well that's the machine's fault, if it's meant to gauge cleaning performance, there are far easier ways like airflow sensors which are not rare on vacuums these days. As long as it's operating correctly, and you know how to use a vacuum cleaner, there is no reason to scan the surface.

[Kleinstein]

Seeing where the floor is still drity can help a little when cleaning, so you see where you already were. Not really needed and more of an extra for the premium model. Kind of like the idea, though there may be a laser warning lable missing.

The explaination of particle detection from impact sounds very plausible. No real doubt it works and build in numbers it can be reasonable cheap. Displaying the particle numbers can be a bit of scary to some. This could be a good feeling to see you actuall remove dirt and see when done. Again this is more the extra for those who don't care about an extra $100 for the display.

[Caliaxy]

I believe he infers that the laser is not actually used to count and measure the particle size (that's done acoustically somewhere "inside the machine"). The laser simply makes bigger particles visible to the eye (through light scattering) by illuminating them with a light sheet almost parallel to the floor. Smart. I could use this technology to find small screws and parts on the floor.

I'm more impressed by the hair anti-tangle feature. I'm wondering if it really works (not that I expect lots of hair on my floors from my head in the years to come  )

[PlainName]

No idea about the vaccum, but I'm suspicious of anyone that has to wear a mask on-camera. Is it protecting them or us, or are they just making a gesture? Either way, it reflects a low opinion of their (potential) customers.

[Kleinstein]

The mask should not be needed with a good vacuum cleaner. With a poor quality vaccum it may actually be a good idea to wear a proper mask because of the fine dust they emit and make airborne again.

The mask in the commercial video looks a bit funny  - maybe this is in an actual shop and this "required" also for the personal.

[SiliconWizard]

AFAIK, Dyson pride themselves in designing vacuum cleaners that release extremely low level of fine particles while vacuuming.
Anyway, even with a basic vacuum cleaner, wearing a mask? Are you serious? (Unless you have a specific condition of course.)

Masks in commercials are now just propaganda.

[PlainName]

My wonderful DC02 came with a HEPA filter as standard, so any dust it launches would be likely not stopped by a mere medical mask.

Wish they still made the DC02, or something very similar. It's the best vacuum we've had, which is why we still use it. Only real issue is the cord retractor not locking out now. Actually, a current cylinder model might be even better, but far too expensive to try it just to find out.

[Gyro]

My wonderful DC02 came with a HEPA filter as standard, so any dust it launches would be likely not stopped by a mere medical mask.

Wish they still made the DC02, or something very similar. It's the best vacuum we've had, which is why we still use it. Only real issue is the cord retractor not locking out now. Actually, a current cylinder model might be even better, but far too expensive to try it just to find out.

The upright Dysons that I have owned have thrown a strong jet of their exhaust air downward and forward though. It presumably kicks up a lot of dust from the area that it hasn't vacuumed yet and getting it airborne.

[PlainName]

That does sound a bit of a design fail.

[SiliconWizard]

That does sound a bit of a design fail.

If it does this, yes it is. I thought I had heard Dyson say that they designed vacuum cleaners to minimize getting dust airborne. Maybe I was dreaming. Or maybe they were lying?

[Gyro]

That does sound a bit of a design fail.

If it does this, yes it is. I thought I had heard Dyson say that they designed vacuum cleaners to minimize getting dust airborne. Maybe I was dreaming. Or maybe they were lying?

I still think the zero Carbon emissions tag line is one of his best (the HEPA filter catches the dust from the motor brushes). 

[SiliconWizard]

Do they not use brushless motors?

[james_s]

Laser particle counters have been around for decades and these days it's possible to make them compact and inexpensive, there's nothing dodgy about them at all. Whether there is value in integrating a particle counter in a vacuum cleaner I don't know but it will work of course.

Yes they use brushless motors, I have an older Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner and it's great. I bought it on sale and I've been using it regularly for around 10 years, best cordless vacuum I've used.

[james_s]

The explaination of particle detection from impact sounds very plausible. No real doubt it works and build in numbers it can be reasonable cheap. Displaying the particle numbers can be a bit of scary to some. This could be a good feeling to see you actuall remove dirt and see when done. Again this is more the extra for those who don't care about an extra $100 for the display.

Roomba vacuuming robots have used this method since the beginning. They have one or two dirt detectors which consist of a piezo disk connected to a small analog PCB mounted in the lid of the brush deck. They work very well, when it runs over a few grains of kitty little or other stuff on the floor a blue light comes on and the Roomba circles a few times over that spot.

[Gyro]

Do they not use brushless motors?

Not on the mains ones, the referenced DC02 was a pull-along mains one. He, of course, also claims zero Carbon emissions on the brushless ones for that reason.

[james_s]

Yeah I don't know of any plug-in vacuum cleaners that use brushless motors although I'm sure it will happen at some point, the motors and controllers have gotten so cheap and they're a lot quieter. I don't think a little carbon dust from the motor is a hazard though, that sounds like marketing just using the "carbon emissions" trendy buzzword in an unconventional way referring to elemental carbon.

[langwadt]

Yeah I don't know of any plug-in vacuum cleaners that use brushless motors although I'm sure it will happen at some point, the motors and controllers have gotten so cheap and they're a lot quieter. I don't think a little carbon dust from the motor is a hazard though, that sounds like marketing just using the "carbon emissions" trendy buzzword in an unconventional way referring to elemental carbon.

isn't that just Dyson in a nut shell, technical gobbledygook and hyperbole claims? 90% of their budget must be ads and making plastic look as complicated as possible

[tszaboo]

900 bucks for a vacuum cleaner. What an absolute bargain.[/sarcasm]
I just have the robot to do it, really.
Saves an absolute ton of time.

[PlainName]

I think Dyson is kind of like the Jobs of vacuums. When Jobs made the iPhone, all the parts already existed but he presented them in a way that just clicked. All the parts of Dyson vacuums were already around, but it is he that kicked off the bagless cyclone fad. Indeed, the main reason I got mine was because I was fed up of having to buy and dispose of bags - I had perfectly good vacuums, but the bags...

Nowadays I won't consider a vacuum that isn't bagless. We have a few, and even the non-cyclone ones are bagless to the extent that if they use filters they are reusable filters. When Dyson was punting his stuff, so far as I can recall, bagless was rare. Presumably the manufacturers were copying the razor-blade model of funding, which might explain why Dyson's stuff was expensive in comparison. I think the introduction of his early models was as big and significant as the iPhone in the domestic market, and the cost reflected that.

[Kleinstein]

Yeah I don't know of any plug-in vacuum cleaners that use brushless motors although I'm sure it will happen at some point, the motors and controllers have gotten so cheap and they're a lot quieter. I don't think a little carbon dust from the motor is a hazard though, that sounds like marketing just using the "carbon emissions" trendy buzzword in an unconventional way referring to elemental carbon.

There are / were some Festool  professional shop vaccum cleaners that use a switched reluctance motor - kind of a brushless version, but without the permanent magents. New brushless motors are often hybrids, combining swtiched reluctance and permanent magnets. This was an expensice one ( >$1000) made for long run time.

With the EU regualtions on power consumption of vaccum cleaners, I would not be surprosed to find them in some of the higher priced versions for household cleaners too.

[SiliconWizard]

Yeah I don't know of any plug-in vacuum cleaners that use brushless motors although I'm sure it will happen at some point, the motors and controllers have gotten so cheap and they're a lot quieter

So cheap? Nah. Low power brushless motors have become cheap, sure. The ones you would use on a small RC model.
For the kind of power you need for a vacuum cleaner, they are definitely NOT cheap, and in any case a lot more expensive than the brushed alternatives. Consider that a typical decent mains vacuum cleaner has an 2000 W motor, or so.

Now given the price tag of Dyson vacuum cleaners, they could certainly use them in their mains ones. But hey, you gotta keep your margins high.

As to carbon dust from brushed motors... yeah. I think we have more pressing pollution issues to solve.