Dyson, a company that specializes in high-speed motors, has confirmed it The Verge that its new robotic vacuum does not use a Dyson motor. The newly launched Spot & Scrub Ai robot vacuum and mop are “co-created,” Nathan Lawson McLean, Dyson’s senior design manager, said. The Verge.
According to Lawson McLean, the device combines “new and existing technologies from Dyson and other platforms.” Specifically, a new navigation technology based on lidar and a vacuum motor robot has been developed by a third party. “It’s not one of our V10 engines, it’s one of the technologies we’re working with,” said Lawson McLean.
“It’s not one of our V10 engines, it’s one of the technologies we’re working with.”
– Nathan Lawson McLean
The fact that Dyson had help with a new robotic vacuum has been suspected since the day it was announced late last year. The Spot + Scrub is a complete departure from Dyson’s previous models and has obvious similarities to other robot vacuums on the market. But this is the first time Dyson has admitted it had a hand in developing its robotic vacuum.
Outsourcing the manufacturing of key components is not uncommon in the world of robot vacuum manufacturers or manufacturing in general. But for a company that built its brand on high-speed motors and cyclonic vacuum technology, it’s a surprising step.
So, why did Dyson abandon its signature technology with its latest robotic vacuum? Speed and cost, according to Lawson McLean. “We really wanted to enter the market in this new wet and dry space and empty ourselves,” he said. “And how can we do that quickly?” Answer: Get help.
While Dyson has been making robotic floor cleaners since the early 2000s, it’s still years behind Chinese competitors such as Roborock and Ecovacs, as well as US-based iRobot, which makes the Roomba. The latter made a similar pivot from vision-based navigation to lidar last year, partnering with original Chinese manufacturer Shenzhen Picea Robotics to produce a new line of Roombas.
Dyson wouldn’t confirm which partner he worked with, but Reddit sleuths and industry watchers identified it as Picea, which also works with Xiaomi, Anker (Eufy), and Shark, among others. (Picea recently bought iRobot following its bankruptcy.)
Dyson’s previous attempt at filling the robot gap – including the 360 Eye and 360 Vis Nav – featured high-speed Dyson motors. They were great vacuums, but they struggled to move on their own. Both bots used camera-based vSLAM navigation, which was slow and unreliable.
With Spot + Scrub, Dyson has worked with “partners” to add more reliable lidar-based navigation technology. Based on the reviews, it was a huge improvement. Change was clearly needed to keep the company competitive in a crowded market. But, in the process, they also threw away Dyson’s best feature: its powerful motor.
Lawson McLean says this exchange only tells part of the story. “We have never looked at engines alone. […] ducting, inlet pressure, outlet pressure, etc. of Spot + Scrub, they all have a huge amount of Dyson engineering around them,” he says.
Additionally, he says most of the robots use “new and existing Dyson technology,” including Dyson-developed AI spot detection, a 12-point hydration system for self-cleaning wet rollers, and a bagless “Cyclonic” dock — the company’s first multifunction robotic dock.
But it’s still a Dyson vacuum without a Dyson motor, and inside The Vergetest, the Spot + Scrub vacuum’s performance was worse than Dyson’s previous robots, especially on carpet.
While he declined to share any future directions, Lawson McLean hinted that Dyson may be working on a robot that will successfully combine Dyson’s automotive technology and sweeping heritage with its advances in milling technology, machine learning, and key robotic vacuum features. But Spot + Scrub is not that. Instead, he says, it’s a “balancing act,” a product designed to keep Dyson competitive in a market where it has so far failed to make a big impact.
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
