A love affair with airflow technology has been at the heart of Dyson’s engineering journey since the beginning. Starting with the DC01 in 1993, airflow first featured in Dyson vacuum cleaners within Dyson’s cyclonic technology, then, in Dyson fans and purifiers, engineering airflow to multiply and project air further. Lastly, airflow was championed in Dyson’s hair care range to achieve the same styles at lower temperatures, maintaining hair health by reducing the reliance on heat. Airflow is a core part of Dyson’s DNA. In the words of James Dyson, “in order to fix it, you need a passionate anger about something that doesn’t work well.” The Dyson story focuses on solving problems others ignore, reinventing the outdated and engineering the future – but airflow is a lasting romance.
Dyson Air Multiplier technology
It all began when Dyson engineers started looking into hair care back in 2012, investing £50 million into the development of Dyson’s first ever hair tool. Dyson engineers found that a powerful airflow could be achieved if air was taken into a motor and accelerated over an annular aperture – this is the iconic ring-shaped head that can only be recognised as Dyson’s first ever hair dryer, and in 2016, the Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer was launched.
The traditional model and technology of the humble hair dryer had seen very little change since the 1960s. Traditional hair dryers often have a weak airflow and are powered by bulky motors, meaning they are slow at drying. So Dyson invented the Dyson digital motor V9, a motor which is up to eight times faster than conventional hair dryer motors, enabling the Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer to move over 13 litres of air every second.
It took 25 variations of the annular aperture for Dyson engineers to fine-tune the balance between noise and performance. When engineers took James Dyson to the acoustic chamber to see the results of a pre-prototype rig, James believed the engineers had turned down the power of the machine to make it quieter. James put his hand in front of the air amplifier ring and was taken aback by the force of airflow. This soon became known as Dyson’s patented Air Multiplier™ technology.
Dyson Coanda technology
Just two years after the Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer hit the shelves, Dyson revealed a new way to dry and style hair within one tool: the Dyson Airwrap™ styler. Launched in 2018, the engineering within the Dyson Airwrap™ styler once again adapted the format of traditional styling tools. The question on everyone’s lips was: how does the Dyson Airwrap™ styler curl hair with air? The answer: the Coanda effect.
What is the Coanda effect?
The Coanda effect is an aerodynamic phenomenon. Air, when propelled at the right speed and pressure, naturally follows an adjacent surface, pulling in the surrounding air. The Dyson Airwrap™ styler harnesses this phenomenon by creating a spinning vortex of air around the cylindrical shaped barrels of the tool. The barrels attract the hair through the airflow, encouraging hair to wrap itself around the barrel and curling it through the use of the air vortex.
It took in the region of 500 prototypes to perfect the curling barrels featured on the Dyson Airwrap™ styler. The first two initial development rigs for the Dyson Airwrap™ styler came as a pair – Dyson engineers had created them side by side and the two rigs were not to be separated, causing Dyson engineers to fondly nickname these two rigs Barbie and Ken after the popular fashion doll couple – a fitting detail for Dyson fans celebrating Valentine’s Day this year.
Dyson SupersonicTM hair dryer
Engineered for different hair types, the Dyson SupersonicTM hair dryer is powerful and fast. The tool uses a fast but focused airflow, is engineered for balance in the hand, is quieter than others and intelligently controls the temperature to help protect hair from extreme heat damage. Dyson’s patented Air Multiplier™ technology means that the volume of air coming out of the hair dryer is 3x that going into the motor, giving the user the ability of fast drying and styling while reducing the reliance on heat, making it the ideal tool to gift this Valentine’s Day.
Unlike many other traditional hair dryers, the Dyson SupersonicTM hair dryer measures air temperature over 40 times a second to regulate temperature output. This prevents extreme heat damage, to help protect hair’s shine. The Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer is priced at S$599 from Dyson Demo Stores and www.dyson.com.sg.
Dyson AirwrapTM styler
At the heart of the Dyson AirwrapTM styler comes a radical idea: harness Dyson’s digital motor to create an aerodynamic phenomenon known as the Coanda effect. The Coanda effect occurs when a high-speed jet of air flows across a surface and, due to differences in pressure, the air flow attaches itself to the surface. Air, when propelled at the right speed and pressure, naturally follows an adjacent surface, entraining surrounding air.
Taking advantage of this principle, Dyson’s team of aerodynamicists created a way to style hair using only air combined with heat. The result, whether choosing to curl, wave, smooth or rough dry hair, creates a natural look with a sleek finish, whilst helping prevent extreme heat damage, making the Dyson AiwrapTM styler the ideal gift for loved ones who love creating salon styles while looking after their hair.
The Dyson Airwrap™ styler is priced at S$699 from Dyson Demo Stores and www.dyson.com.sg.
Dyson CorraleTM straightener
The only hair straightener with flexing plates, the Dyson Corrale™ straightener features pioneering microhinged plate technology, which flex to shape and gather hair, applying even heat and tension to all the hair strands in every pass and keeping them perfectly aligned, reducing the reliance on heat.
Much like the Dyson Supersonic™hair dryer and the Dyson Airwrap™styler, the Dyson Corrale™ straightener features Intelligent Heat Control technology. Suitable for all hair types, this unique styling tool features three precise temperatures, using a platinum sensor that measures the temperature 100 times a second. This technology communicates with a microprocessor, which in turn controls the heating system to deliver precise, accurate heat. Combined with Dyson’s 4-cell lithium-ion battery technology, the Corrale™ straightener also delivers cord-free performance, making it the perfect tool to gift loved ones who want to care for their hair by reducing heat damage without compromising on style.
The Dyson Corrale™ straightener is priced at S$699 from Dyson Demo Stores and www.dyson.com.sg.