Dyson comes with robots that help in household: ‘A big gamble’

Dyson is known for its vacuum cleaners, air purifiers and fans, but the British company of billionaire Sir James Dyson will be focusing on new smart products for the household in the coming years: robots. Dyson showed on Wednesday prototypes of robotic arms that can take on all kinds of tasks at home, such as clearing dishes in a dishwasher, cleaning furniture and picking up objects. The robots resemble small industrial robotic arms.

“With this we are taking a ‘big bet’ on future robot technology,” said Jake Dyson, the son of founder James and technical director of the company. “We want to save people time and take the annoying tasks off their hands.”

Dyson currently has 2,000 employees working on the household robots. Over the next five years, the company plans to hire another 700 robotics techs.

Research Center

For the development of the robots, the company has set up a large research center for robotics in an old hangar in England. That location was previously intended for the development of an electric car, but Dyson canceled that plan in 2019. Another part of the robot team is based in Singapore, where Dyson is headquartered.

Dyson previously made robot vacuum cleaners, but they only generate a small part of the company’s turnover. Wearables are another new product category that Dyson is investing in. Later this year, for example, it will launch headphones with a built-in air purifier.

Amazon and Samsung

Dyson isn’t the only gadget company working on domestic robots. Amazon, LG and Samsung, among others, are also developing all kinds of robots for consumers.