Dyson Airblade: Exclusive Video Hands On

Looks like good ol' James Dyson got pissed off at something else that didn’t work properly: public-restroom hand dryers. Amen, brother. As Dyson’s legion of engineers discovered, the standard-issue dryers just suck up filthy air from the bathroom, heat it, and shoot it out at your hands in even filthier condition, which totally defeats the purpose of cleaning your hands in the first place. So on the brand-new Airblade dryer, air is drawn in through an iodine-resin purifying filter before it’s shot out of two hair-thin openings at 400 miles an hour. Yeah, that’s right, I said 400 mph, which is faster than the following:

1.      KITT
2.      the Delorean from Back to the Future
3.      the speed at which a girl will run away from you when you bring up high-powered hand dryers in an attempt to get her number

Dyson says it will bring the Airblade to the U.S. in late 2007. Hopefully, that will inspire you to wash your hands after going to the bathroom. I’m wiping my hands on my jeans till it gets here.

We had a chance to test the thing way before you will. Check out what it does to the skin on my hand! —Joe Brown

Comments

[Martin]

Yes, but did it actually work? Did it dry your hands well?

instead of playing about with bits of tape and paper, you might have answered that question!

[DENVER MORGAN]

Hey why didnt you just use some water
sounds kinda dumb given that water is so
plentyful I want to see it dry a hand not shot
bits of tape around the room i wonder what
moron thought of that test.
but i am sure that the machine will work

[Kalthen]

He could use water, but would you be able to see it? No.
That;s why he used things you could see, like tape and paper.

[Stephen]

I am underwhelmed.

They've had these type of air dryers in Japanese public restrooms for quite a few years now.

[The guy in the video, Joe Brown]

I wanted to use something like maple syrup, which would be visible when blown off, but the Airblade in the video is the only prototype in the country. They weren't wild about the idea.

So I used the stickies to illustrate how fast the air was moving. In the first shot, where you see my hands in there sans stickies, my hands were wet. After removing them, they were no longer wet.

And yeah, Stephen, they've had similar units, primarily the Mitsubishi Jet Towel, in Japanese restrooms for a number of years. The Dyson differs in that it filters the air before it shoots the air out.

[tada]

I found these dryers (not dyson)in Korea. This was two years ago and I'd see them in movie theaters and hospitals. They worked 100 times better than the old school dryers. Dyson makes decent products but this is nothing new...maybe a minor improvement on dryers that have been around for awhile now. 200 mph works just fine...they dry my hands in about 15 seconds.

[acn]

theres um...one nasty tidbit...unlike regular dryers were people who don't wash their hands fully (i.e. don't use soap or just not cleanly) and dries their hand using a machines doesn't involve having their hands touch the machine except for the button. I can see this machine get nasty really fast when "those" people try to use the machine, and "those" people that aren't particularly dexteritous get their germs all over that opening in which we're suppose to stick our hands in....

[George]

Yeah, i use those when I go to Japan each year. Why didnt he do something fun with that like sticking a wet rat into there?

[tuqqer]

I agree with tada. Given the hygiene habits of most businessmen that I've seen over the years, there's simply no way I'd put my hands into one of those devices in an airport bathroom. From soap, to airborne fecal matter... it would just get funky really, really quick.

As a device in my home bathroom? Very cool. I already own a Dyson vacuum, so they'd match.

[happydude]

They have had these in Japan for years. They work flawlessly and should be installed everywhere. You can literally dry your hands in about 15 seconds. No pain and they really come out dry.

[The guy in the video, Joe Brown]

Now THAT is a good idea. I should have used a wet rat. I am, however, not disappointed that we didn't think of that.

And to clarify for ACN, your hands don't touch the machine.

[crasher]

Use food colouring. Mix some natural food colouring in water and do the test again. Make the colour of the water as dark as possible. I suggest black or red.

Btw, there are many blowers like these in Singapore's shopping malls. They are quite efficient, but they do not always leave my hands dry after the first round which takes about 8 seconds. I will have to do it a second time. As there are usually many people in the malls, I may not want to dry my hands with these blowers if I see a few people waiting to use it.

I'm guessing that the higher air speed should ensure that our hands are dry after one round. Shorter time and effective drying are the key reasons for us to use them and for toilet owners to start installing them.

[Erik]

If they were to use food coloring, it would stain their hands, and that would be no good....

[Stephen]

"Yeah, i use those when I go to Japan each year. Why didnt he do something fun with that like sticking a wet rat into there?"

This made my day.

[Mike]

The major point that has been missed is the hygenie factor; no buttons and the air filter - normal hand dryers are so unhygenic that you can cultivate loads of fun bacteria from the toilet-air you clean your hands with.

[acn]

Yes I know they don't touch the machine...but given the fact that we don't touch the inner stalls or the standing stalls of the bathroom doesn't mean its not disgusting to be around them. And i think you're missing a few points of my case, yes i know you don't touch them...but given a few people that aren't as dexteritous as most people, and how most people probably wouldnt knwo what to do would eventually mean it would be toched a lot more than you think. We have motion sensing paper dispensors, sinks, etc, but a common functionality of them is that theres one pane in which u pass ur hand, not stick ur hand anywhere. Also, it isn't like the machine self cleans when it dries someones hand, someone's unclean hand water, or just people messing around in the bathroom will get the machine contaminated with bacteria. It might work in Japan this technology, but from the last time I checked, americans are much more, how would you put this? on average more uncaring about the cleanliness of public spaces as well as a bit more unhygenic on average. granted, these will probably work great in a buisness office or building, or of some highly maintained and dignified area...but stick this in one of america's malls, mix that equation with roudy kids, teenage punks, some purely digusting adults, and other random events and I really doubt that it wouldn't be as hygenic to stick your hand in there, even if you don't touch. Because others will have, because others may not be as hygenic as we all like, and to think, you may be blowing "bacteria" that accumulates from creeping in toward the side of the machine. Granted, i'd still use it, and granted i use the air dryers we have today...but i guess in the ones we use now, at least the common design in which u have the machine and all the space in front of it gives less chance for people to "accidently" rub their disgusting hands all over. Think of it this way...the hand dryer (we use now) might not be that nasty, but that button we have to press sure is usually. This means that there are definatly people who don't wash their hands correctly (fully). In addition, even the machines where u only have to hover ur hand over it, still manages to get disgusting for some reason. Now you ask me to stick my hand in a confined area where such chances of contamination increases? I don't know....doesn't sound like a "fool-proof" design to me.

[Bryan A]

Here's a tip for Mr. Dyson:

To address concerns about contamination, apply a coat of Titanium Oxide to the contact areas. This will naturally destroy and breakdown any bacteria, germs, etc.

[chris]

air blade sound like its going to cut my fingers instead of dry my hands

[st]

You still have to open the door on the way out. and for some insanely stupid reason most shatter doors open in not out. thus the fact that probably 70% of all people don't wash after using the facilities, you still have bacteria hands from handle contact. I'll stick with the paper towel conservation be danged.

[CJ]

Give poor Joe Brown a break! Until you use one yourself there's really no objective way to criticize this machine. Did anyone stop to think that the 400mph jets of air blasting your hands from both sides would probably create a buffer zone above and below your hands making touching the inside surface of the machine really difficult if not impossible? Also, notice the large scooped out interior space where your hands go? Looks like you'd have plenty of clearance to keep from accidentally bumping the inside if you didn't want to. I also noticed another person mentioned coating the exposed surfaces with titanium oxide. This is not a far fetched idea at all and has already been implemented in computer mice, keyboards, and even some newer cell phones to keep them somewhat germ free. I think it's a great idea and the design is impecable. Improving on things and making them better than before is what Dyson is all about. Quit hating and don't fear the future.

[DEP]

To answer the posts on hygiene (acn) - if you look at the dyson website, the unit is already treated with an antibacterial agent on all the exterior surfaces, so proliferation of bacteria is not an issue. The unit will be cleaner than the sink that you just washed your hands in, and people don't complain/worry about those??

As for the door handle, I think the whole point of the machine is because it is so fast and effective, people WILL use it rather than walking out with wet hands, so the door handle won't be wet, and you won't be spreading bacteria around anywhere near as easily!

Apparently the Dyson also takes the nasty waste water away and disinfects it - nice move! The Japanese ones are indeed better than the usual things we see, but the air isn't fast enough to ripple your skin like this one looks to do, and as mentioned by Stephen don't filter the air or dispose of the water, so I'd say this is a new category of hand dryer all-together!!

[Rhino Guy]

These have been in the Greensboro, NC public libraries for about three years. They have motion sensors for on and off. I gaurantee the city did NOT pay what Dyson will ask for them. They work great! BTW, our local K-Mart will be installing the fast blowers as the older units die in their restrooms.

[lysdexia]

Tell fruity Dyson that all dryers (all dryers) blow. The effiiciency drops when the room is humid, and the dryer makes no attempt to dry the wind. It needs adsorbents like silica gel and charcoal foam in the stream, a window, and a sunpipe to drive off the soakth--not more power.

[CM]

Rhino Guy - think you're missing the point that the blade of this machine 'wipes' water from your hands. It doesn't rely on evaporation to dry, hence the humidity doesn't affect the way this thing works

[CM]

Sorry - meant lysdexia..