 |
Sunday, 15 May 2005 | Levent OZLER
Dyson Reinvents The Wheel
First James Dyson changed the way the vacuum works -- now he's changing the way we vacuum. Dyson's DC15 vacuum with The Ball™ technology is Dyson's most significant advancement since his creation of a vacuum cleaner that doesn't lose suction. The Ball™ has taken three years to develop and has 182 patents*.
The Ball™ is Dyson's solution to the stiff, inefficiency of the back- and-forth movement that makes vacuuming a chore. Because there hasn't been any major change in the layout of vacuums in the last 100 years, we have simply put up with this frustration. Changing direction with traditional upright vacuum cleaners involves several push-pull maneuvers or requires walking around to direct the machine. You crash into chairs, bash into boxes and scuff the base boards. It can be tiring, frustrating and often, due to the lack of control, you miss whole areas of your home.
The patented Ball™ technology replaces the traditional, rigid two wheels on the base of the machine with a ball, allowing the vacuum to twist and turn effortlessly around furniture and low-lying obstacles. The Ball™ successfully eliminates the struggle of maneuvering a vacuum around the room, so that you control the movement, not the other way around like traditional vacuums. The Ball™ moves in a totally different way; turning a corner is as simple as a turn of the wrist. The fluidity achieved means that you are no longer restricted to using your entire body to steer. Pulling and pushing a traditional vacuum cleaner back and forth, back and forth may seem like a minor irritation right now, but imagine giving up your car's power steering. Or think about the motion of a ballpoint pen; curving and changing direction is effortless as the ball enables the pen to glide freely on the page. It's the same with The Ball™ -- vacuuming is smoother, easier, freer and much less strenuous.
"We've spent many years trying to make vacuum cleaners better and better, said James Dyson. "We have developed cleaners that don't lose suction and now we've made one that's easier to maneuver too. The Ball™ has many ingenious, original patented mechanisms."
DC15 has a pivot point between the body of the machine and the cleaning head, which means it maintains constant contact with the floor, even when steering around furniture, so it glides easily and gracefully into spaces that other vacuums miss. Its brushbar can be removed easily and is driven by gears rather than a belt. It also has a telescopic wand, which simply extends, allowing you to reach tight corners and edges. The motor is inside the ball keeping the center of gravity close to the ground for maximum stability. And like all Dyson vacuum cleaners, The Ball™ doesn't lose suction.
One third of Dyson's worldwide employees are engineers and scientists working in the Dyson Research, Design and Development Center in Malmesbury, England and are dedicated to developing new and better technology. Dyson's rigorous testing means DC15 has been put through its paces before reaching homes. For example, one of the many tests to ensure robust engineering includes Dyson vacuum cleaners being dropped with the force of up to 150 times their own weight. Dyson has 24/7 testing on new products, both human and mechanical, within a range of different scenarios designed to test them to the point of destruction.
DC15 Availability
Dyson's DC15 The Ball™ All Floors vacuum in steel and yellow will be available nationwide beginning May 2005, at a suggested retail price of $599.99. Look for the revolutionary new vacuum in stores nationwide. Call Dyson's toll-free number (1-866-693-9766) or visit the website http://www.dyson.com for a complete listing of retailers.
About Dyson
Dyson is committed to making products that work better. The Dyson Cyclone uses 120,000 times the force of gravity to spin dirt and dust out of the air, and is the first vacuum cleaner that doesn't lose suction. Dyson has received numerous awards for technological innovation including: the Industrial Design Prize of America; House Beautiful's "Giants of Design"; Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Prize; the European Design Prize; the Super Good of the Year (Japan); the L'Etoile de l'Observeur du Design (France). Dyson products have been displayed at museums around the world including New York's MoMA. Dyson was also cited as one of Time magazine's "Best Inventions of 2003." James Dyson is an active member of the Design Council in the U.K. and a member of the board of the MAK Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna.
|
|
|
