Last week, Dyson pulled back the curtain on robot prototypes currently in development as part of a presentation at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Philadelphia. And while it boils down to little more than a recruiting tool, some of the projects could stand to make a big impact on our day-to-day lives.
In a video, Dyson's Chief Engineer Jake Dyson showed off some of the secret R&D work at the company's Hullavington Airfield campus in England. Though glimpses, they were intriguing, like robots doing the dishes, setting the table and even cleaning up children's toys. The company is developing robots that will not only be safe in a home environment, but take a beating, because, you know, kids.
Dyson plans to ramp up robotics in a big way in the next few years.
The company typically acts more coy and top secret, but the chief engineer wants to show off some of the cool tech to try and entice engineering talent. Dyson wants to recruit 250 robotics engineers for various disciplines, including computer vision, machine learning, mechatronics and sensors. The company plans to add another 700 over the next five years.
Dyson is undergoing a talent infusion, already hiring some 2,000 people this year, about half of which are engineers, scientists and coders. The company is trying to build the UK's largest, most advanced, robotics hub and bring the technology into our homes by 2029.
The new jobs will be based at Hullavington Airfield, a new lab close to the Dyson Robotics Lab at Imperial College in London and at the company's global headquarters in Singapore. Over the last six months, Dyson has been refitting one of the main aircraft hangars at Hullavington Airfield to prepare for the new hires. The company's robotics makeover is part of a $3.4 billion investment in new technologies, products and facilities; $753 million of which is earmarked for this year.
As a parent, Jake Dyson says he spends half of his life cleaning up after his kids. Jake, you're preaching to the choir. His plan is to have robotics alleviate some of these mundane tasks. Now, about diapers...
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