Beware the rise of the sucking machines.
Robot vacuums are nothing new, but thanks to Dyson’s flair for the dramatic, its first such dirt sucker is making waves in Japan.
Sir James Dyson unveiled his company’s first robot vacuum to the world today, during a live presentation in Tokyo. The Dyson 360 Eye took roughly 16 years, and $47 million to produce, including a recent $8 million funding infusion earlier this year.
The Dyson 360 Eye is a larger robotic vacuum — it certainly stands taller than the iRobot Roombas of the world. But on the surface, it is decidedly a Dyson product, from the materials and colors used, to the Dyson cyclone tech, to its ability to traverse both hard surfaces and carpets.
And to make the 360 Eye feel right as rain in your connected life, Dyson built a WiFi radio into the floor-hugger, and is also shipping a companion smartphone app. One flick of the finger turns your Nest thermostat on/off, and another gets the vacuum going before you get home from work.
Japan’s typically tight living quarters means “smaller is better,” which is why Dyson revealed the 360 Eye there today, and will start selling the vacuum there later this year. Owners will get 20 minutes of cleaning time before the 360 Eye automagically returns to its base to recharge.
So will the Dyson 360 Eye have the likes of iRobot and its Roomba vacuum sweating bullets? That remains to be seen. iRobot has quite the following here in North America, but Dyson certainly has the…celebrity power (?) in the vacuum game.
