Chapter Seven

The world’s first vacuum not to lose suction. DC01 looks completely different because it works in a completely different way. Instead of a dusty, clogging bag, it has Dyson Dual Cyclone™ technology, so it doesn’t lose suction. And contrary to market research, it has a clear bin to show the dirt that has been sucked up.

In 1994 we released a silver and blue edition of the DC01 – The Antarctic Solo – to mark explorer Ranulph Feinnes' successful attempt to walk across the continent without support. We funded his trip to raise money for Breakthrough Breast cancer. A personal cause, since both my parents had succumbed to the disease.

At an event to mark Ranulph Fiennes' trip. The Prince of Wales hosted the group in the Sword Room of St James' Palace.

The first Dyson cylinder vacuum, built around the same Dyson Dual Cyclone™ technology that was developed for DC01. The chassis is engineered to fit on stairs, for easier and safer cleaning.

Publicity shot for the launch of DC02 at home at Kingsmead Mill in 1995.

At home in Bathford demonstrating the ease with which you could vacuum stairs with a DC02, our first cylinder vacuum.

Jake demonstrating a colourful DC02 at our exhibition, 'Doing a Dyson', at the Design Museum in 1996.

Dyson’s vacuum cleaner made from recycled plastic was ahead of its time. Created in six stages, including material collection and separation, organic green pigmentation and moulding.

Dyson Dual Cyclone™ technology re-engineered to be extra slim and ultra-lightweight, without compromising performance. The first Dyson vacuum with a clutch for automatic brush bar control and lifetime HEPA filtration to capture fine dust.

With two large counter-rotating drums to replicate hand washing, cleaning bigger loads better and faster than other washing machines. Yet high manufacturing costs meant production couldn’t continue. Mine are still going at home.

Modelling a Dyson Halo prototype. We started working on this project in 1999. Many years later of course, Google came out with Google Glass.

A sketch of what would become Dyson Halo. Sadly this was one of our projects that didn't come to fruition.

DC08 was the first multi-cyclone cylinder cleaner that saw a big jump in suction power. It came with a bigger powered brush bar designed to deal effectively with pet hair.

I had known fashion designer, Issey Miyake, for a number of years when he invited me to design a set for him in 2002 on the theme of cyclones and wind. He drew on the same theme for his collection.

Models emerging from a yellow hose in Dyson vacuum-inspired designs onto the runaway. The models were blown with powerful hoses to create wind which was the theme. The show took place at the Tuileries in Paris.

A sketch I did of my design for the staging of Issey Miyake's 2002 collection on the theme of wind.

The first robot vacuum to actually suck like a vacuum should. At the time, the technology was too complicated and expensive, as it needed 60 battery cells and 90 different sensors. We weren’t prepared to launch something that wasn’t ready, so we built a team to make a machine with true intelligence and which navigates using a vision system.

In 2003, on the invitation of Charles Moore, the editor of The Daily Telegraph, I created a garden for the paper's entry for The Chelsea Flower Show. We used a colour palette not usually associated with gardens – dark maroons and tan colours. We even made an Escher-like water feature to look as though water was flowing up hill. The Queen asked to see our curious 'Wrong Garden'.

Brilliant engineer, Derek Phillips, on an 'impossible' glass bench in our Wrong Garden at The Chelsea Flower Show.

I'd never done anything quite like The Wrong Garden project but was delighted to see how design and engineering could be used to create a surprising or 'wrong' garden. We were awarded the Silver Gilt prize at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show and won Garden of the Show when it was exhibited in Birmingham.

The first hand dryer to work properly. The Dyson digital motor drives air through two narrow apertures. It creates 430mph sheets of air which scrape water from hands, drying them hygienically in just 10 seconds. There is no need for a heater and the dryer operates at 700W rather than 3,000W – a fraction of the energy.

No more wheels. DC15 is the first machine to ride on a ball, for easy steering. Patented Ball™ technology, with the motor inside, creates a low centre of gravity – so it turns on a sixpence. A separate direct-drive motor powers the brush bar for improved pick up on carpets when needed.

I resurrected the ball from my Ballbarrow for our DC15 vacuum. Getting rid of wheels meant the machine's handling improved enormously.

The first fan to multiply and circulate air without the need for fast-spinning blades. Air is accelerated through an annular aperture and over a ramp, to draw in surrounding air – amplifying airflow by up to 15 times.

A completely new format for a cord-free stick vacuum. With a non-fade lithium-ion battery and a Dyson digital motor V2, positioned in the hand for the optimum centre of gravity. The lightweight, long reach wand permits easy cleaning up high and down low. Absolute versatility. It was the first battery product to be designed with software to prevent battery fade.

Powered by the Dyson Digital Motor V4 and re-engineered to be 60% smaller and 35% quieter than the original Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer – with no compromise in performance.

Wash and dry your hands at the sink with Airblade™ technology. Infra-red sensors detect hand position to activate either water or 430mph sheets of air, drying hands in just 14 seconds. All shedded water drips directly into the sink. I have these in my washrooms at home.

Water is exposed to ultraviolet light – killing 99.9% of bacteria. A piezoelectric transducer turns the water into hygienic, humidified air, which is projected evenly around the room with Air Multiplier™ technology.

Heat pipe technology, developed by Jake Dyson, directs heat away from the LED lamps, sustaining brightness for more than 37 years. The mechanism, inspired by the parallel motion on an architect’s drawing board, allows easy positioning while keeping the head horizontal.

The most powerful suction of any robot vacuum. With a unique camera developed by us to film all around in 360 and SLAM (Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping) technology to interpret surroundings for intelligent and effective cleaning.

The hair dryer reinvented. The Dyson digital motor V9 mounted in the handle creates powerful airflow to dry hair quickly. Intelligent heat control measures and regulates air temperature up to 20 times a second, to protect hair from extreme heat damage. It is powered by a 120,000 rpm Dyson Digital V9 Motor.

One of my favourite colour ways, seen here on our Supersonic hair dryer. I chose the purity of 23.75 karat gold leaf for its colour, lustre and quality. Dyson design engineers and model makers then learned to gild under a master gilder. Beneath the gold leaf is a red loop, which is known to give a warm, rich finish. Once sprayed, two layers of gold leaf from Florence, Italy, are applied by hand and carefully brushed to form a smooth and even finish. The blue lacquer has a silver underneath to give luminosity.

My granddaughter, Bay (16 at the time and on work experience), designed the stand for the Supersonic hair dryer.

Going big with the Supersonic hair dryer at London's Twickenham rugby stadium in 2016.

Intelligent purification controlled directly from your device. The Dyson Link App shares real time data to allow you to quickly see your machine’s activity, past and present, as well as reports on temperature, humidity and filter life. The fan can switch on automatically and records the chemicals and particulates present in the room in graph form.

Combining the powerful Dyson digital motor with aerodynamics, the Dyson Airwrap™ styler uses the Coanda effect to style hair without extreme heat. A spinning vortex of air around the barrel gently attracts, wraps and curls hair without tangling.

Intelligently reports and adapts power in real time. An LCD screen shows current performance, power mode, run time, and filter maintenance reminders. The Dyson DLS™ (Dynamic Load Sensor) system intelligently detects brush bar resistance, to automatically adjust motor speed between carpets and hard floors for optimum cleaning with its carbon fibre bristles.

Dyson Core Flow™ technology propels purified air through narrow apertures at high velocity. As the air converges, a pressure core is formed, which directs the air to coalesce into a focused stream.

The Dyson Corrale™ straightener has flexing manganese copper alloy plates. They shape to gather hair neatly together, producing enhanced styling with less heat. Its 4-cell lithium-ion battery enables cord-free versatility with corded thermal performance.

The most powerful, intelligent cordless vacuum yet. A precisely-angled laser makes invisible dust visible, while an acoustic piezo sensor continuously measures microscopic particles as they’re sucked up – showing real-time scientific proof of a deep clean on the LCD screen.