Dyson's new AR-powered app will show you all the spots you missed while vacuuming

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A new way to use augmented reality to clean your home

What using Dyson's AR vacuuming app will look like
(Image credit: Dyson)

Chances are, you're spending less time than you think cleaning your home, and what's worse, there's a good chance your floors aren't as clean as you think. And now Dyson wants to address that.

The vacuum and appliance maker on Tuesday (Apr. 9) unveiled a new tool called the Dyson CleanTrace that will help you do a better job of cleaning your floors, thanks to the power of augmented reality (AR). CleanTrace is an attachment to the Dyson Gen5Detect that allows you to place your iPhone in. From there, you'll need to boot up the Dyson app and turn on the CleanTrace feature for it to analyze your floor and give you visual information on where you vacuumed and where you didn't.

In a visual shared with a statement on Tuesday, Dyson showed how users can look at the iPhone's screen and see a purple cover over the areas where they cleaned the floor. In areas where they didn't, the floor will still be visible. Upon cleaning that area of the floor, the Dyson app will cover it in purple. That, combined with the Gen5Detect's particle-sensing technology, could go a long way in suggesting the floor is indeed clean.

A phone on a Dyson vacuum for AR cleaning

(Image credit: Dyson)

"LiDAR technology from the user’s phone allows the Dyson CleanTrace to map your room, and overlays cleaning pathways using AR which show you where you have cleaned and what you have missed," Dyson said in a statement. "The existing technology within the Dyson Gen5Detect simultaneously acoustically senses and counts the dust particles, showcasing proof of a deep clean."

Vacuuming a floor has always been a decidedly undesirable chore for many. According to Dyson's study, the vast majority of people tend to overestimate the amount of time they clean. In fact, the company's data found that 80 percent of people are usually cleaning their floors for fewer than 10 minutes, even though they claim they've been vacuuming for 24 minutes.

That disconnect creates a problem. Whereas users who believe they've vacuumed for an extended period think their floors are sparkly clean, in reality, they're not nearly as clean as they had hoped.

Still, the Dyson CleanTrace isn't for everyone. Since the device uses LiDAR technology, and Apple's devices are the only smartphones that work with LiDAR, it would seem out of the box that Android users are out. It's unknown, however, if that will change over time.

Dyson's CleanTrace will launch in June, and the software to pair with the Gen5Detect will be available as a MyDyson app update then.

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Don Reisinger

Don Reisinger is CEO and founder of D2 Tech Agency. A communications strategist, consultant, and copywriter, Don has also written for many leading technology and business publications including CNET, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, Computerworld, Digital Trends, TechCrunch and Slashgear. He has also written for Tom's Guide for many years, contributing hundreds of articles on everything from phones to games to streaming and smart home.