Dyson’s blade-less fan technology is being upgraded for the cooler seasons, with ceramic heating stones thrown inside to pump out hot air when winter comes.
Previewed last year as Dyson was launching a similar model for America, we played with a prototype and found the technology to be similar to the Air Multiplier cool fans launched several years ago.
“The original Air Multiplier was born from the Airblade Airdryer,” said Andrew McCulloch, one of Dyson’s engineers working out of Japan. “We wanted to find other applications for the technology.”
Over the course of three years, 22 engineers helped to develop a new model of the blade-less fan that was the Air Multiplier that could not only deliver cold air, but also warm up the air it took in.
The Dyson Hot+Cool can do exactly this, measuring the ambient air as it’s pulled into the fan, running it through a motor, and heating it over straight ceramic stones inside the new fan.
Interestingly, not all of the air coming out of the Hot has been heated, with some of it kept cool so the surface temperature of the fan can be cool enough to pick up if needed.
Safety is also thought of, with an automatic cut-out switch tripped if the fan is knocked over, turning the unit off in case something should ever go wrong.
Then there’s the energy savings on offer here, with the fan operating at 40 watts before the heater is switched on, hitting a maximum of 2000 watts. A remote is also provided, allowing the fan to be operated from a small distance.
“Because the Dyson Hot+Cool has the Air Multiplier technology, it conserves energy more quickly,” said McCulloch. “So if you want your room to be heated all over, this will be achieved more quickly, which means you stop using excess electricity more quickly.”
According to Dyson Engineer Andrew McCulloch, once the thermostat senses that the desired temperature has been reached, the fan will cut off into standby mode and only consume around one watt.
It’s not enough to provide a heater, though, as the Dyson Hot+Cool can also function in the warmer seasons by working in a similar capacity to the cold-specific Air Multipliers. While the colder Dyson fans pump out air at an amplification of 16 times – speeding the air up to make it feel colder as it hits the skin – the Hot+Cool sends air out an amplification of six, not as cold as the Air Multiplier fans, but still enough to keep you comfy on a warm day.
Dyson’s Hot+Cool AM04 can be found in stores now for $549 RRP.
