Dyson 360 Vis Nav
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In 2015, Dyson introduced the world to its very first robot vacuum, the Dyson 360 Eye. Despite its expertise in suction, the British manufacturer specializing in airflow management had not succeeded in convincing, which earned it a distance from the market leaders (iRobot and Neato).
The last eight years have given Dyson time to review its copy and take advantage of its know-how in robotics to make a remarkable comeback in the robot vacuum sector. The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is the figurehead of this revival for Dyson, which intends to close the gap with the competition.
Demonstration of the Dyson 360 Vis Nav in action.
The family resemblance between this Dyson 360 Vis Nav and its elder is obvious to those familiar with the manufacturer’s ecosystem. The multicyclonic filtration system is visible and installed on the hull of the robot, which has swapped its round shape for a D silhouette, “more suitable for vacuuming in corners”.
Unparalleled suction power
65 airwatts under the hood
To convince, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav relies on the parameters that make a good robot vacuum cleaner, starting with a suction power of 65 airwatts, twice that of market references.
A triple purpose brush
But this power would not be of much use if it were not supported by a brush efficient enough to recover waste, including those well buried in the pile of a carpet. The brush, which takes up the full width of the robot as Neato democratized it, combines soft nylon (or Fluffy) bristles for bulky waste with anti-static carbon fiber filaments to catch fine dust, as well as pins to unearth the waste inside the mats.
A Fluffy brush under the robot.
A squeegee for the corners
The Dyson 360 Vis Nav introduces a never-before-seen feature that could make cleaning along walls much easier. Thanks to one of its 17 sensors, the new Dyson robot vacuum cleaner is able to deploy a small squeegee on the side to collect dirt along the baseboards and suck it up. The demonstrations in which we were able to participate were amazingly effective. When the robot understands that it no longer goes along the walls, it puts away its squeegee automatically. It is rather well seen.
The squeegee automatically deploys when the robot runs along the baseboards. © Dyson
A piezo sensor to track dust
The piezoelectric sensor, which we have already seen at work on the V15 and V12 Detect as well as the Gen5 Detect, allows Dyson stick vacuums to adapt the suction power according to the level of dirt. Coupled with a whole host of in-house algorithms, the piezo sensor is thus capable of estimating the number and size of the particles sucked in; this information is displayed on the screen of the vacuum cleaner. Integrated into the Dyson 360 Vis Nav, this sensor will also automatically adapt the suction power according to the task to be performed. At the end of a cleaning cycle, the user will be able to see on the app the areas that required more suction power.
A neat navigation system
A 360° lens to get your bearings
The 360 Vis Nav still relies on a hemispherical fish-eye lens installed on the robot’s hood to locate itself in space. Coupled with a series of sensors, this navigation system should enable the robot to benefit from methodical navigation, avoiding it having to go back to the same place several times.
A system of LEDs to find your way around in the dark
This was one of the weaknesses of the Dyson 360 Eye, the robot vacuum cleaner had a hard time finding its way in the dark despite the presence of its infrared lamps. To support the camera, the manufacturer has equipped its successor with LEDs which light up when the brightness of the room is too low to help it better locate itself as well as detect and circumvent obstacles.
An autonomy of one hour
Dyson estimates the autonomy of its robot vacuum cleaner at 50 minutes, after which the device is supposed to return to its station to be recharged. This duration is particularly weak if we compare it to other references on the market which can vacuum for more than 6 hours for some. It is unlikely that the Dyson 360 Vis Nav will be able to overcome the largest surfaces after the first pass, which could harm it, unless the navigation is sufficiently well optimized.
Its positioning in a highly competitive market
Over the past three years, the robot vacuum cleaner sector has grown considerably and many Chinese challengers have helped to democratize this category of products, making it more credible. After betting everything on the navigation system and suction efficiency, manufacturers have deployed new features such as floor washing systems or automatic waste emptying stations. Ever more sophisticated, robot vacuum cleaners are now also more versatile. And it is undoubtedly on this point that the shoe pinches for the Dyson robot vacuum cleaner, less well equipped than most models on the market.
We can be sure that Dyson has integrated advanced technologies into this device, which will in all likelihood be sold at an elitist price, but this 360 Vis Nav model, as technically accomplished as it is, may have a hard time competing with the best-equipped models on the market and sold at more attractive prices. These eight years of absence have widened the gap with Roborock, Xiaomi and Ecovacs, which have grabbed market share from the tenors of the sector such as iRobot or Neato, which has recently closed its doors. Finally, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav could suffer from a stroke of old even before its marketing in the face of increasingly fierce competition.
Either way, 2023 seems to mark the year of renewal for Dyson. While the newly arrived Gen5 Detect breaks free from the line of stick vacuum cleaners (V15, V12, V10, etc.), the Airstrait intends to revolutionize the hair straightener. The Dyson 360 Vis Nav, which will be available in France at the beginning of 2024 at a price not yet communicated, is part of this comeback.