First look at the Dyson 360 Viz Nav robot vacuum

Dyson has unveiled its latest product – the Dyson 360 Vis Nav – a robot vacuum with a similar motor that’s found on its popular cordless products to provide six times more suction of any other robot vacuum on the market.

Seven years in the making, the Dyson 360 Viz Nav uses a 360-degree vision system to navigate its way around your home and sense the areas that need to be cleaned.

There are 26 sensors aboard the robot which help the device detect dust, avoid obstacles and detect walls and furniture.

“A robot vacuum cleaner should not be a novelty. We know there are many frustrations with current robot vacuum cleaners – some have low suction power, or inefficient navigation systems which means that they often get stuck and don’t do a proper job of vacuuming,” says Dyson chief engineer Jake Dyson.

“Dyson engineers have focused on developing machines that overcome these challenges and which increasingly anticipate our needs, understand its environment and operate autonomously.”

At the heart of the system is the Dyson Hyperdymium motor that works at 110,000rpm to offer six times the suction of any other robot vacuum.

All robot vacuum cleaners have a circular shape, but Dyson has designed the 360 Viz Nav with a flat front edge to house the triple action cleaning brush which is slightly wider than the brush on its cordless vacuums.

The triple action brush bar takes advantage of that deep suction and combines three ways to clean – soft fluffy nylon for large debris on hard floors, antistatic carbon fibre filaments for fine dust pickup on hard floors and stiff nylon bristles to go deeper into carpets.

The brush is also pet friendly thanks to its wide diameter which reduces tangling.

It also has a Piezo sensor which can detect and react to the changes in the dust levels as it’s performing its cleaning run.

This sensor monitors dust levels 15,000 times a second and can detect particles that are invisible to the human eye and automatically increase suction when needed.

One complaint with robot vacuums is that they don’t get right to the edges and that is something that Dyson has addressed with the 360 Viz Nav.

When it’s time to clean near the wall, the Dyson extends a side actuator to pick up the dust from the edge and direct it towards the suction.

To get around your home the Dyson 360 Viz Nav users the Dyson Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) technology which can quickly map and remember where it has been in your home.

It uses a 360 degree fisheye lens which gives the robot vacuum a panoramic view of the inside of your home to work out its surroundings.

The robot has a dual link suspension system so it can climb up to 21mm between hard floors and carpeted areas and is small enough to fit under furniture up to 99mm in height.

The Dyson 360 Viz Nav also has a whole machine HEPA filtration system which traps dust and seals in 99.99 per cent of particles.

The vacuum has four cleaning modes including Auto Mode which can automatically optimise suction and power, Quick Mode for a quick top up clean in open areas, Quiet Mode for quite a cleans that run longer and Boost Mode where maximum suction is used for a deeper clean.

And when it’s time to empty the bin it’s a simple one handed action to activate the ejection mechanism to push out the dirt into the garbage.

The Dyson 360 Viz Nav also works seamlessly with the MyDyson app which allows users to create and customise zones and schedule cleaning times.

Users can also control the robot vacuum with their voice.

The app also provides deep cleaning reports and shows you dust maps so you can easily see the dust hot spots in your home where increased suction was needed.

The MyDyson app will also provide regular over-the-air software updates for the robot vacuum so customers can receive the latest functionality and additional features.

The Dyson 360 Viz Nav will be available from May 25 and will be priced at $2,399.

It will be available from dyson.com.au and Dyson demo stores.

Stay tuned to Tech Guide for a complete review in the coming weeks.