Washing dishes, tidying up, vacuuming – the Dyson company wants robots to do all of this in the future. The competition is also working on what else the electronic helpers in the household could do.
The British company Dyson, previously known primarily for its vacuum cleaners, wants to expand its business to include robots for the home.
The machines are said to be able to do chores and other tasks autonomously – and Dyson is also working on robotic hands that can reach out for objects. A video released Wednesday showed mechanical grabs picking up a plate, detergent bottle and toy, among other things. Dyson aims to bring robotic technology into homes by the end of the decade.
The company is looking for robotics specialists for this: the 250 that have now been hired are to be followed by a further 700 over the next five years. Dyson converted a hangar at the company-bought Hullavington Airport in the UK to house the robotics centre. It’s not the first time Dyson has looked to expand its business with big investments beyond vacuum cleaners, air filters and hair dryers. A few years ago, the company poured billions into the development of an electric car – but pulled the plug on the project before the vehicle hit the market.
Competitors such as the vacuum robot specialist iRobot are also preparing for a future with mechanical household helpers that have hands. “We’re at a point where we’re starting to understand the environment we’re operating in enough to be able to do something like this,” said iRobot boss Colin Angle last year. In the industry, too, people were still puzzling over what the task of the first household robot with arms would be, Angle said at the time.
