Dyson Bladeless Fan Still Really Blows
It's a fan. That's what it does.
Are you caught in the dog days of summer, sweating it out? Well, neither are we, but that's not stopping Dyson from coming out with one of the most innovative ways to push air since the fan.
Unlike the original fan, though, with its blade-based design, Dyson's new Air Multiplier creates a smooth, uninterrupted stream of air. This will be a huge plus for those who are bothered by the "unpleasant buffeting" created by traditional fan designs.
How does it work? Dyson described in its press release: "Air is drawn into the base of the machine. The air is forced up into the loop amplifier and accelerated through the 1.3mm annular aperture, creating a jet of air that hugs the airfoil-shaped ramp. While exiting the loop amplifier, the jet pulls air from behind the fan into the airflow (inducement). At the same time, the surrounding air from the front and sides of the machine are forced into the air stream (entrainment), amplifying it 15 times. The result is a constant uninterrupted flow of cooling air."
Apparently, the new fan design is a product of four years of work by Dyson’s fluid dynamics engineers, who ran hundreds of simulations. Air fluctuations were mapped with "Laser Doppler Anemometry," helping measure control the machine’s airflow.
“We realised that this inducement, or amplification, effect could be further enhanced by passing airflow over a ramp,” said James Dyson. “And of course this was the point where the idea of a bladeless fan became a real possibility. Here was a way to create turbulent-free air and finally do away with blades.”
While many of us don't have a problem with the traditional spinning blade fan, there's nothing to say that something better can't be built. Dyson's done it, and now we'll see if the new innovative design will be one that will eventually replace what we've been using for as long as I can remember.
Don't expect that living on the edge of fan technology to be cheap, however, as the 10-inch models run for $300, and the supreme 12-inch model is $330.
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I really have never been bothered by the blades of a fan or the "unpleasant buffeting" created by them so I will just save my $300 and get a "old fashion" blade fan from Walmart for ten bucks.
Now imagine what this could mean for computer cooling, all the advantages! You could cool a case more easily and efficiently because the flow of air can be controlled independently of where the air actually comes.
This almost sounds closer to air conditioning than to a regular fan.
300 bucks for a fan? Man that blows.....
Oh, just great! Now how will I get the cool sound effect sitting next to the spinnig blades repeating, "Luke, I am your faaaatherrr"?
yes, and if you spend an extra $30 for the 12" it'll blow even more...
;P
It does use a type of turbine in the base, but still this thing is way cool. Moving the air up the ramp on the inside of the circle is really the key to grabbing air from all around it. This is really cool stuff.
Very innovative and all...but personally I've never been bothered by the awful stream of air a fan produces? They work fine for me as far as I know. Now if that option could work with very little noise compared to a standard fan, THEN you've got my interest.
A bladeless fan, but "Air is drawn into the base of the machine. The air is forced up into the loop amplifier and accelerated through the 1.3mm annular aperture, creating a jet of air that hugs the airfoil-shaped ramp."
So basically, they use a mystery device to draw air in and force it into the loop amplifier. $1 says they use a bladed fan to do this. In other words, this isn't a bladeless fan, its a airspeed/volume amplifier.
Nice try Dyson, but I left your overpriced and under-performing vacuum (according to Consumer Reports) on the store shelf, and I'll probably leave this $300 piece of crap there too.
Cool and interesting!
How about the acoustics? Much quieter with turbulence I'm guessing.
without*
(I assume) this would be awesome for computers and other noise-conscious environments.
Ever tried to tune a guitar with a fan going? A fan does quiet a number on sound. A bladeless fan would cause less interference.
Throw a holographic blade in there...THEN we'll talk!
The thing obviously still has blades... they're just hidden in the base where you can't see them. I have seen the concept of using an airfoil shape to pull more air used before... it definitely works and is very cool - but the thing isn't bladeless.
yeah, of course that's what everybody is gonna think when seeing this fan for the first time, "thank god they finally got rid of that annoying buffeting"
gonna put a new spin (pun intended) on the expression, "When the 'stuff' hits the fan." There is no place for the 'stuff' to find a perch.
What I really want to know is, how quiet is it? As we are all well aware, traditional fans become exponentially louder the faster they spin. This is a direct result of the buffeting of the airflow and the reverberation created by the blades as they run into the turbulant air that they have created. This design, once the price comes down, could have tremendous benefit in the area of CPU cooling while simultaneously reducing noise.
Yeah, I can't help but think that there's some type of fan blade in there, if not, where does the kinetic energy come from? Aside from blades or pistons, there's not many ways to accomplish this, unless they've come up with some kind of sophisticated laser/radiation/magic way of doing it.
So basically, they use a mystery device to draw air in and force it into the loop amplifier. $1 says they use a bladed fan to do this. In other words, this isn't a bladeless fan, its a airspeed/volume amplifier.
Exactly. It's got a brushless motor turning some type of turbine inside the base. It took a couple of minutes to find that on their site, and even then it just says "A combination of the technologies used in turbochargers and jet engines generates powerful airflow".
And it certainly doesn't sound any quieter than a normal fan from watching the video on their site.
Unless this device works on the principal of how wind in generated naturally on the surface of the Earth and clearly it doesnt. It must use some type of motor and blade system to start the air on its way. This is simple physics, the air is going from a wide openening to a small one so of course it get "accelerated". Just another overpriced piece of plastic from this company. $500 for a freakin vacuum, it's called Earth and they need to come back to it.
Will it have an afterburner?
I'm not about to buy any of his overpriced products, but I do love hearing about all tech behind his stuff. That and has accent is amazing and makes his commercials so much better.
doesnt anyone here like the "buffeting sound"? i find it has a cooling effect almost as good as the fan itself. for me anyway..
How efficient is it? Does it move a larger volume of air for a given amount of electricity? Or conversely, can it move the same volume of air using less electricity? If so, then this is a major advance. If not, it's just cool (no pun intended, I just can't think of a better word to describe it).
And, if they can make one that's inexpensive and nearly silent, then they can license it to AMD and it can become part of their "Cool'n'Quiet" technology.
can it play crysis? wait its a fan..
So ...where do I tape the hamsters now?
So ...where do I tape the hamsters now?
I wonder if this can be used to improve computer cooling somehow.
People... My guess is that they use a 'corona' wire(not the beer
)charged with high voltage, low current power just like those air purifiers every one was so wild about. This will generate a decent airflow on it own. Throw in the Amplifier ( based on the venturi effect) and it probably makes a decent little blast of air.... But there aint no way I'm spending that kinda jack on a fan, bladeless or otherwise!