Dyson has revealed a series of prototype robots it’s evolving and announced plans to hire hundreds of creators to build robots capable of household chores over the next five years.
The images are designed to lead the fine motor skills of the machines, with arms capable of vacuuming a sofa, raising plates out of a drying rack, or lifting a kid’s toy.
The company, best comprehended for its range of vacuum cleaners, says it strives to develop “an autonomous device competent for household chores and other tasks,” with The Guardian noting that it could be discharged by 2030.
It arrived over half a decade after the company unleashed its first robotic gadget, the Dyson 360 Eye robot vacuum cleaner, in 2014. Dyson has prolongedly emphasized its interest in AI and robotics to underpin its future products.
The announcement coincides with the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Philadelphia. It serves as a recruitment tool with a significant “Start your Dyson career” link placed near the top of Dyson’s press release. The business house says it’s in between the “largest engineering recruitment drive in its history.”
It’s presently recruiting 250 robotics engineers with knowledge in “machine learning, sensors, computer vision, and mechatronics” and expects to hire 700 more over the next five years. Dyson states it’s already added 2,000 new employees to its workforce this year.
Besides producing hires, the company is also building out what it desires will be the UK’s largest robotics research center. The center will be established at Hullavington Airfield near the company’s prevailing design center in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, where it’s refitting an airplane hanger where 250 roboticists will work.
The site had earlier been earmarked to develop Dyson’s electric car before the project was withdrawn in 2019. The research will also take place in a lab in London and at the company’s global head offices in Singapore.
“This is a ‘big bet’ on prospective robotic technology that will drive research across Dyson, including mechanical engineering, machine learning, vision systems, and energy storage,” said Jake Dyson, the company’s chief engineer and son of founder James Dyson.
In 2020, Dyson announced schedules to invest £2.75 billion (around $3.45 billion) in robotics, new motor tech, and machine education software by 2025. In addition, it plans to expend £600 million (around $750 million) on that asset.
Dyson Limited, commonly known just as Dyson, is a Singaporean multinational technology company founded by James Dyson. First established in 1991 at Malmesbury, England, it designs and manufactures household appliances such as vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, hand dryers, bladeless fans, heaters, hair dryers, and lights.
As of February 2018, Dyson had more than 12,000 employees worldwide.
In 2019, Dyson announced the company’s permanent move to Singapore – its headquarters are located at the St James Power Station, across the island of Sentosa.
Ever since, the company has conducted its base of operations out of Singapore, with its headquarters being the hub for Dyson’s research and engineering teams, as well as commercial, advanced manufacturing and supply chain operations. In 2022, Dyson announced that it would be investing a further S$1.5 billion in the country.
In January 2019, it was announced that Dyson intends to manufacture its own electric vehicle (EV). However, the termination of the EV programme was announced later that year on 10 October 2019, citing that it was not “commercially viable” at this time.
Nevertheless, a prototype of the EV was unveiled in 2020, known as the N526, and it is now showcased within their headquarters.