Only a Dyson works like a Dyson: The engineering behind Dyson vacuums

As engineers, we thrive on the challenge of creating new technology, and ensuring it passes the ultimate test – working in real homes and lasting the test of time. Here, we explore the lengths our team of engineers and researchers take to ensure only a Dyson works like a Dyson.

Built to go on, and on

We love testing. The more gruelling, the better. It’s why we drop, crash, bang and wallop our machines thousands of times in the development process. Prototypes are put through their paces with rigorous testing in labs and in real homes, from London to Los Angeles. All vacuums are tested on hundreds of floor types using debris and dust from all over the world. In short, our vacuums are built to last.

But what does “built to last” mean? We put our machines through at least five years of testing in harsh conditions to ensure we’re engineering the most robust machines. This includes over 1,000km of flooring covered in push-pull tests, 500,000 cleaner head neck joint swivel tests, charging and discharging batteries over 6,000 times and running individual digital motors over 20,000 hours.

Relentlessly tested

Our engineers design, test and iterate every aspect of our machines including the sub-components to ensure they work efficiently and effectively, for as long as possible. We invest in our spaces, building labs and testing chambers that expand our knowledge and expertise of the sectors we are developing technology in.

Before prototyping begins, we conduct a detailed structural analysis on each component using a virtual simulator. We use this software to make changes and see what works, iterating before we produce a physical example.

Using our in-house labs, we begin a product development journey. In the microbiology labs, our scientists run research programs to fully understand what is in household dust so that our engineers can understand how the complex biological structure of real dust interacts with our machines.

Using other facilities, like our acoustic chambers, we individually test the noise level and sound quality of every component to ensure the machine’s sound is balanced.

We invest every month on dirt, dust and carpet for testing, using real dust to ensure our prototypes are designed to respond to particles found in a real-homes.