Dyson tackles the humidifier, kills water-based bacteria with UV light
In a launch presentation in Tokyo, Japan (apparently the company's favorite place for new product launches), Dyson tackled the surprisingly sketchy hygiene issues that come with more typical humidifiers. To prove how gosh-darn better Dyson's Hygienic Mist humidifier is, the company's microbiology team (which of course it has) incubated water with bacteria to see how a typical humidifier transmits that to a room. A selection of agar jelly plates grossly demonstrated how that bacteria spreads around a room. However, in an early comparison, with the same concentration of bacteria in the water, Dyson's test humidifier, with UV light cleansing the water, knocked out 99.9 percent of the bacteria -- the current model manages this in three minutes. The device launches in Japan in early November, priced at 60,000 yen (roughly a hefty $560) and we've got the rest of the engineering details after the break.
Naturally, the new product tries to dovetail in the company's know-how from other families: Dyson's folded in its air multiplier technology too (making the design pretty similar to its fan), expanding the range compared to rival humidifiers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it also doubles-up as a fan in the summer. The air itself is also measured by an intelligent thermostat, keeping the air "comfortable", according to Dyson's Tom Bennett, and consistently adjusting its output accordingly. There's a three-liter tank, which can apparently ensure 18 hours of air-based moisture. It's beneath this reservoir (where the water mills around) that the UV light does its trick, squashing bacteria inside before it's taken up and sprayed as a mist across the room. It's also qualified for the "quiet mark" in the UK, benefited from Dyson's acoustic know-how. It barely makes a hiss. There's no word on roll-out outside of Japan just yet, but it looks like Dyson is working to ensure all that R&D pays off.
