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Bosch counter-sues Dyson over claims it's cheating efficiency tests
Dyson might have landed the first punch, but today Bosch is back with a counterblow. BSH Group, which owns both Bosch and Siemens, has announced today that it's taking "legal steps" against its rival in the UK. Why? "Unfounded accusations of cheating," CEO Karsten Ottenberg explains, related to some of its vacuum cleaners and how they've achieved top energy efficiency ratings. Two models in particular -- the Siemens Q8.0 and Bosch GL80/In'Genius ProPerform -- boast AAAA grades at the moment, based on low power consumption measurements of 750W. Last week, Dyson said these figures were inaccurate because they rise to more than 1600W in real-world conditions. As a result, it's launching legal proceedings against Bosch in the Netherlands and Siemens in Germany.
Why Dyson's pricey robot vacuum is late for its Japanese debut
We warned that Dyson's first robot vacuum was going to put all that cyclone technology to use on your wallet's contents and we weren't wrong. After a hefty half-year delay, the 360 Eye robot vacuum goes on sale in Japan today priced at 138,000 yen -- before tax! That's around $1,150. Cutting-edge robot house cleaners that take care of themselves apparently demand high salaries (just ask Rosie). Dyson's 360 Eye has undergone a handful of minor changes, both in the hardware and software, to prepare it for its first customers: the Japanese. My biggest takeaway? Dyson thinks the 360 Eye knows its way around cleaning a room even better than you, you big ole' irrational human.
Hyperloop gets a little closer to reality
One of the firms competing to turn Elon Musk's tube-based alternative to high-speed rail has taken a small step towards making it a reality. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has signed deals with vacuum pump business Oerlikon Leybold, engineers Aecom and the architectural business Hodgetts+Fung. As with all of HTT's deals, these firms will offer their expertise in exchange for stock options in the hope that the company will become successful further down the line. The latter two won't have much to offer just yet, but the first one has already started work on the project.
Neato robot vacuums get better brushes for your filthy floor
Having a robotic vacuum scoot around your home sucking up filth isn't all that novel. But if your current rolling dust buster just isn't cutting it, Neato just updated its D-series line. The Botvac D75, D80 and D85 all sport the new spiral blade brush that Neato says offers the same cleaning power but much quieter than previous models. The vacuums still use a laser-guided system to clean floors without wandering around in a circle and squared edge helps it get into corners. Thanks to a new design, the guidance system disk no longer looks like a a Play-Doh lid. The Botvac D75 starts $499 while the D80 and D85 with quieter brushes and high performance filters will set you back $549 and $599 respectively.
Dyson's new vacuums don't need you to clean the filter
Sure, your vacuum cleaner might not need a bag anymore, but you're probably still cleaning or replacing its filter every now and then to make sure you're sucking up as much dirt as possible. You shouldn't have to if Dyson's new Cinetic Science vacuums live up to their hype, though. Both the upright and low-slung versions use rapidly vibrating flexible tips (350 times a second) to prevent dust from blocking the aperture, making sure that all those crumbs and stray hairs reach the bin without any kind of filter maintenance. Supposedly, the Cinetic Science line will operate at peak performance even after 10 years of duty.
Dyson's incoming robot vacuum is called the 360 Eye and it looks like this
That robotic vacuum cleaner that Dyson teased a few days ago? It's arriving -- and soon it's here! Thanks to a kind tipster, we were able to get a quick look at the device called the Dyson 360 Eye, which will apparently be revealed in earnest later today. As the image above suggests, it's a similar shape to existing robot vacuums, but arrives equipped with a 360-degree camera. It can apparently wheel around vacuuming your house for 20 minutes, before it needs to get back to a vertically-mounted (extremely classy), glass and acrylic charging station. According to our source, it's a follow-up to a Dyson vacuum cleaner called the DC06 from a decade ago, which was never released as it carried a very hefty $16,500 price tag. The 360 Eye won't be exactly cheap either, we hear, but the tipster reckons it'll be a lot more affordable at around $1,650. They added that it will be available in Japan first, but will roam carpets and corridors in the US and the UK soon after. Expect to hear more later today. [Thanks, anonymous tipster!]
Dyson's Motorhead cordless vacuum challenges your classic upright
Like many companies, when Dyson's not trying to develop a genre-busting product, it's usually at the drawing board fine-tuning existing lines. That's certainly the case with its recent twist on the DC59 Animal cordless, aptly named the Motorhead. While the original model was a step up from the electric brooms I've used in my appliance-poor youth -- both in performance and price -- this newest iteration challenges conventional vacuums at tackling bare floors and carpets with the gusto of a full-sized machine. It's only a fraction of a pound heavier than the earlier model and just as petite and portable, but it boasts a 75 percent increase in suction with its new motorized cleaning head. It arrives today on Dyson's website and other select retailers costing $550 -- a slight jump in price over the previous version -- and should hit more retail outlets in the fall. I took it for a quick test-drive through my Brooklyn apartment to see how it stacks up against its portable predecessor and find out if that price boost delivers a significantly better machine.
Samsung countersues Dyson over vacuum copycat claims (update)
Dyson's decision to sue Samsung over claims it copied its vacuum design looks like it's really starting to suck. Less than six months after it took action against the Korean company for allegedly infringing its patents, which it later dropped, Dyson now finds itself on the receiving end of a multi-million dollar countersuit. The Korea Times reports that Samsung isn't looking to prove the validity of its designs. Instead it's focusing on the resulting legal fallout: The company claims last year's litigation "hurt [its] corporate image" by labeling it as a serial copycat, so it's seeking 10 billion won ($9.43 million) compensation because it "negatively affected" Samsung as a brand. Dyson pulled its original claim after it found examples of prior art, allowing Samsung to take its stand against "patent trolls that use litigations as a marketing tool," and warn off other companies looking to take similar action. Strong words indeed, Dyson certainly won't want to let the dust settle on this case.
Dyson invests over $8 million into robot research lab (and it's not just for vacuums)
Dyson has announced that it'll invest £5 million into a robotics labs at Imperial College London, aimed at developing vision systems to help robots "understand and adapt to the world around them." The company had in fact planned to launch a robotic vacuum cleaner way back in 2001, but Sir Dyson said the prototype was too heavy and expensive... and it never hit stores. This time, research won't only concern itself with automated vacuums but other domestic robots, according to the BBC. Dyson has apparently been working on robotics with Imperial College since 2005: the university's Professor Andrew Davison is set to head up the new lab. "We now have the mechanical and electronic capabilities, but robots still lack understanding" James Dyson says there's still a lot of work to be done: "My generation believed the world would be overrun by robots by the year 2014. We now have the mechanical and electronic capabilities, but robots still lack understanding... mastering this will make our lives easier and lead to previously unthinkable technologies." -- and probably some new Dyson hardware that's harder to imitate.
Neato Robotics' XV Essential vacuum brings affordable automation to Walmart
There's something to be said for taking the easy way out. Neato Robotics figured out how to get the price down on its well reviewed, but slightly pricey XV Signature line of autonomous vacuums, by simply swapping in a cheaper brush and filter. Thus was was the XV Essential. Under the hood it's the same exact machine as the $400 Signature model, but thanks to the plain plastic blade bush and flat filter, it comes in a cool $30 cheaper. That might not sound like much, but shoppers at Walmart (where the XV Essential will launch exclusively in March) are sure to appreciate the additional value. Otherwise you still get the impressive laser guidance system and smart charging function that tells the little sucker to return home when its battery is running low, then picks right back up where it left off once it's fully juiced. There are, of course, trade offs. The ridged filter in the Signature model is much better at capturing pet dander and dust, for one. Plus the purely plastic-bladed Essential is quite noisy on hardwood floors -- it easily overpowered the din of Bluetooth speakers, overzealous PR reps and drunken bloggers at this evening's Pepcom event. Before you go, check out the gallery below.
Moneual's combo vacuum/mop 'bot does a number on marker and wine messes
It's always nice to find out that a device is more than just a press render. We caught wind of this cool combo vacuum/mop several hours ago and lo and behold, here it is in the robotic flesh. Moneual was showing off its RYDIS H68 at CES Unveiled by mopping away magic marker statements off a linoleum floor with help from spilled wine (what real-world scenario might have led to that combination of factors, it's hard to say). Granted, it was a bit loud on the floor, but what struck us immediately about the H68 was just how quiet it was. It also did a pretty admirable job cleaning up the strange mess. As noted earlier, this is the company's second vacuum/mop in a few months. The primary hardware difference between the two is the inclusion of a water tank, which sort of juts off the side of the device a bit (it's 25 percent larger than the competition's, according to the company), as opposed to the H67 which just has a pad on the bottom that you need to dampen. There's also a camera on the top, which apparently takes a reading of the room by projecting up to the ceiling, determining its best route. Oh, and pricing, which we didn't catch earlier, is $499, which puts it in the same ballpark as a Roomba or Scooba. That includes one wireless gate to keep it from going into the wrong room. Nicole Lee contributed to this report.
Moneual RYDIS H68 Pro 'bot mops and sweeps at the same time
Why drop the cash for both a Roomba and Scooba when you can get a device that does it all? Of course, it's far too early to say if the RYDIS H68 Pro comes anywhere near the efficiency of either of iRobot's flagship lines, but Moneual certainly talks a big game. The sequel to the RYDIS H67 features a large water tank and is capable of capturing nearly all particles that are 0.3 micron or larger. There are 42 omnidirectional sensors on board and it uses something called Smart Vision Mapping to determine the best routes to cover a room as it mops and vacuums at the same time. The RYDIS H68 Pro is set to drop just in time for your spring cleaning.
Dyson sues Samsung for copying vacuum design
If Samsung's patent infringement battle with Apple wasn't enough, the Korean company is in the spotlight again over claims that it intentionally copied the design of a patented Dyson vacuum. The British manufacturer has filed a lawsuit with the UK High Court accusing Samsung of duplicating the steering mechanism used in its DC cylinder models and embedding a similar component in the new Motion Sync vacuum cleaner (unveiled last week at IFA 2013). Unfortunately for Samsung, Dyson patented the mechanism back in 2009, which has led Sir James Dyson, the company's founder, to call it a "cynical rip-off." Considering Dyson successfully sued its rival for infringing on its "triple-cyclone" patent four years ago, Samsung's lawyers might just have to suck it up and make a settlement offer.
Sharp branching into robo-vacs, grow lights, e-whiteboards to offset slow LCD sales (video)
Remember the Cocorobo robotic vaccum that could send you pics of your newly-cleaned carpet? Sharp is going to be doing a lot more of that kind of thing soon, if a recent demo at its research center in Nara, Japan is any indication. Since the company has been losing gobs of money on its tepid LCD-panel business, it'll soon be using some of that tech in completely different industries: for instance, converting powerful LED lighting from TV backlights to grow lamps, and touchscreen TV panels to interactive whiteboards. Sharp admitted to PC World that it needed to branch into other businesses since "rivals have been able to catch up from behind" to its LCD TV and mobile phone businesses -- and judging by the drastic actions the company's taken to stave off disaster lately, it'll need to hustle those products to market, stat. Check the video after the jump to see some of the prototypes in action. [Image credit: PC World]
Dyson DC47 and DC50 Animal vacuums shrink in size but not in suction
If you're one of the remaining holdouts who hasn't yet picked up a Dyson vacuum cleaner, get ready to be enticed by a couple new ones. The household name in suction has introduced two new "Animal" series dust busters, the DC47 and the DC50. The former is canister-shaped, while the DC50 stands upright. Both were designed to be much smaller and lighter than their predecessors, with the DC47 weighing in at 13.47 pounds and the DC50 tipping in at 11.6 pounds. They both boast 2 Tier Radial cyclones to extract more microscopic dust, a new Ball pivot that's supposedly more maneuverable and carbon fiber brushes that promise to remove more dust from hard floors due to a lack of static build-up. If you're sold, get ready to cough up some major cash: the DC47 Animal is $449.99, while the DC50 Animal is $499.99. If you want the latest and greatest in designer vacuums, you can snag one from the source link or your favorite Dyson retailer.
Honda Odyssey rolls out with a built-in vacuum, almost makes a minivan sound appealing
It's not quite a minivan fit for a technophile, despite the standard lineup of 2014 in-vehicle gadgets, such as HondaLink with a smartphone interface, HD Radio and an updated center stack. But Honda's 2014 Odyssey does ship with one very practical addition: a built-in HondaVAC, designed with assistance from the good folks at Shop-Vac. The integrated vacuum cleaner lets you tidy up around the van and outside as well, and with integrated power, it doesn't need to be plugged in for use. It can suck indefinitely when the engine's running, or for up to eight minutes with the car turned off. It's integrated within the rear cargo area, and includes a replaceable filter and a canister bag, for easy rubbish disposal. The Odyssey just made its debut at the New York Auto Show, and pricing and availability have yet to be announced. You can check it out for yourself this week in NYC, however, or take a closer look in the promo video embedded just past the break.
Samsung Smart Tango Corner Clean robotic vacuum hits Flickr ahead of CES launch
There's no doubt that Samsung's holding its juiciest bits for the stage in Vegas, but the company has been letting a few items slip on by, with an update to its robotic vacuum line representing the latest pre-CES tease. The Smart Tango Corner Clean maintains a traditional circular design, but includes the "world's very first pop-out brush," which enables the bot to whip debris out of corners and otherwise inaccessible spots along its mapped-out path. On the navigation front, the new cleaner appears to include Samsung's camera-equipped Visionary Mapping System, with a front-mounted lens. There's also a built-in LCD for programming and error code readouts, along with a handful of controls on the top and a standard removable dust bin in the rear. There's no hint of pricing or availability -- or even a model number to speak of -- but if you're in the market for an autonomous vac, you might as well hold out on your purchase for one more week.
Sharp Cocorobo vacuum gets new Android app, lets you control it from afar
Perhaps in response to iRobot's recent Wireless Command Center, Sharp has introduced a new Android app that lets you remotely control the company's little Cocorobo while you're out of the house. You can map out your floor plan so that it'll know what objects to avoid, specify cleaning patterns and even receive carpet-view photos so you can admire the robot vacuum's handiwork. If you attach an optional Navi controller to its USB port, you can even use the app to control other Sharp devices like televisions, air conditioning systems and LED lights. Sharp also introduced a smaller version of the Cocorobo, the RX-V60, which measures about 4.7cm less than the original. Designed to fit in tighter spaces, the RX-V60 will be available in Japan for 75,000 yen ($900) starting December 13th. Check out the video after the break to peek at the new smartphone app and miniaturized vacuum 'bot.
IRL: Dyson DC44, NUU ClickMate PowerPlus and the Galaxy S III
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Can't get more random than this, folks: in this week's edition of IRL, we have Darren recommending a vacuum cleaner, Dan Cooper continuing his search for a backup phone charger and Jon Fingas putting the Galaxy S III to the test against his beloved HTC One X.
Visualized: a look inside iRobot's gadget-filled 'cool stuff room' (video)
We've all seen a Roomba at one point or another, be it picking up debris around our feet in a friend's living room or chauffeuring a courageous kitty for an entertaining clip on YouTube. Likely far less familiar, however, is iRobot's gadget-filled Massachusetts headquarters, including the museum-like "cool stuff room" in the lobby. There you'll find a large variety of autonomous devices, ranging from an early Roomba prototype that subs in a removable cloth for the vacuum to the relatively creepy My Real Baby -- an $89 doll that cries for food and offers realistic reactions to tickling. There's also plenty of industrial and military gear on hand, including a long cylindrical bot used for repairing oil rigs as they continue to operate, a full-size self-driving vehicle and a wall-climbing robot that uses suction cup wheels to ascend vertically. Some of the exhibits are downright creepy, such as a crab-like prototype which an iRobot employee referenced as being "inspired by nature," though the company's familiar household gadgets help to balance out the eerie. Sadly, the collection doesn't appear to be open to the public, though IEEE was granted a tour, which it graciously filmed for your enjoyment -- you'll find that video walkthrough just past the break.
