When Dyson first launched their entry into the robot vacuum category, we thought they would make more of a splash due to their long-running expertise in traditional stick vacuums. Suffice to say, their previous offerings just didn’t stand up to what iRobot’s Roomba and the rest of the field delivered. This time around, the outfit is giving it another go with the Dyson 360 Vis Nav.
So is Dyson ready for the robo-vac prime time this go around? Hopefully. According to the outfit, the new robot vacuum boasts at least two times the suction power of any other competing model, all while integrating a unique side actuator that allows it to clean room edges as capably as it does other parts of the room. And yes, the outfit has supposedly addressed the navigation issues that made their previous efforts less-than-stellar when it comes to cleaning actual homes.
The Dyson 360 Vis Nav is equipped with a 110,000 RPM motor, which has to be the most powerful motor we’ve seen on a robot vacuum yet, so we have no doubt this delivers the suction power that Dyson is touting. It uses a triple action brush bar that allows it to perform optimal cleaning on different settings, with soft nylon bristles handling hard floors, anti-static carbon fiber filaments taking on fine dust, and stiff nylon bristles taking over when cleaning on carpeted surfaces.
The robot vacuum also features a small arm that can extend from the side whenever it’s operating pressed against the wall. This allows it to redirect the suction to the side and pick up dirt trapped along the edges where the wall and floor meet, ensuring you don’t have to do any manual cleaning to handle any dirt or debris sitting along the edges of the room.
The Dyson 360 Vis Nav also boasts improved navigation capabilities courtesy of the outfit’s Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technology, which is integrated with a top-mounted fish eye hemispheric lens that scans the room, allowing it to identify landmarks, recognize positions, and create a full dust map of areas it need to clean. According to the outfit, it collects data from a total of 26 sensors that each performs different tasks, such as dust detection, wall detection, and obstacle avoidance, giving it plenty of information that allows it to properly clean a room from edge to edge.
The device has a dual link suspension that allows it to climb obstacles up to 21mm high, while a low profile lets it sneak under furniture with a clearance of at least 99mm. The onboard battery, by the way, is rated at 50 minute of runtime, with the vacuum automatically returning to its dock whenever it detects it’s running low on power, then automatically resumes right where it left off as soon as it’s properly replenished. Other features include better low light performance (it comes with eight built-in LEDs around the lens) and a companion app for monitoring cleaning sessions and setting custom schedules.
The Dyson 360 Vis Nav has just launched in Australia, with other markets slated for later. Price is $1,590.