James Dyson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Dyson
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Dyson in 2015
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| Born | 2 May 1947 |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation |
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| Spouse(s) |
Deirdre Hindmarsh
(m. 1968) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | James Dyson (grandfather) |
| Awards |
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| Provost of the Royal College of Art | |
| In office 1 August 2011 – 1 July 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Terence Conran |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Ive (as Chancellor) |
Sir James Dyson (born 2 May 1947) is a British inventor and industrial designer. He is also a farmer and a very successful businessman who started the Dyson company. He is most famous for inventing the bagless vacuum cleaner, which uses a special method called cyclonic separation to clean.
As of 2023, he is one of the richest people in the United Kingdom. He also helped open a new university, the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology, in 2017.
Contents
Early Life and Education
James Dyson was born on 2 May 1947 in Cromer, Norfolk, England. He was one of three children. He went to Gresham's School, a boarding school, from 1956 to 1965. His father passed away when James was 18.
He was very good at long-distance running. He once said, "I learnt determination from it." This determination helped him later in his inventions. After school, he studied art at the Byam Shaw School of Art. Then, he studied furniture and interior design at the Royal College of Art from 1966 to 1970. He later switched to engineering.
Early Inventions
In 1970, while still at the Royal College of Art, Dyson helped design the Sea Truck. This was a high-speed boat that could carry a lot of weight.
His first invention was the Ballbarrow. This was a new kind of wheelbarrow that used a ball instead of a wheel. The ball made it easier to move the wheelbarrow over soft ground. This invention was even shown on the BBC TV show Tomorrow's World.
Dyson liked the idea of using a ball. He then invented the Trolleyball, a trolley designed to launch boats. He also designed the Wheelboat, which could travel fast on both land and water.
Inventing the Bagless Vacuum Cleaner
In the late 1970s, James Dyson got an idea for a new kind of vacuum cleaner. He was annoyed that his old vacuum cleaner would lose suction as the dust bag filled up. The tiny holes in the dust bag would get clogged with dirt.
He got the idea from a sawmill that used a special technology called cyclonic separation. This technology spins air very fast to separate sawdust from the air. Dyson thought, "What if I could use this for a vacuum cleaner?"
He worked on his idea for five years. He made about 5,127 different prototypes (test models) before he got it right! His wife, who was an art teacher, helped support them during this time.
In 1983, he finally launched his "G-Force" cleaner. No vacuum cleaner companies in the UK wanted to sell his product. They thought it would stop people from buying replacement dust bags, which was a big business for them. So, Dyson launched his vacuum cleaner in Japan. The G-Force was bright pink and cost a lot of money, about $2,000 (which would be around $5,500 today). It even won an award in Japan in 1991.
Dyson decided to start his own company, Dyson Ltd, to make his vacuum cleaners. In 1993, he opened a research center and factory in Malmesbury, England.
His slogan, "say goodbye to the bag," was very popular. The Dyson Dual Cyclone quickly became the fastest-selling vacuum cleaner in the UK. It even sold more than the vacuums from the companies that had rejected his idea! By 2005, Dyson cleaners were leading the market in the United States.
Other companies soon started making their own cyclonic vacuum cleaners. In 1999, Dyson sued Hoover (UK) for copying his design. The court agreed that Hoover had copied his patented ideas and ordered them to pay Dyson £4 million.
In 2014, Dyson introduced his "360 Eye" robotic vacuum cleaner in Tokyo. This robot vacuum could scan and map rooms to navigate. It also had strong suction and tank-like treads to move easily. You could control it with a special app on your phone.
Dyson believes that making mistakes is important for learning. He once said, "I made 5,127 prototypes of my vacuum before I got it right. There were 5,126 failures. But I learned from each one. That's how I came up with a solution. So I don't mind failure."
Other Cool Inventions
Dyson didn't stop at vacuum cleaners.
- In 2000, he launched a washing machine called the ContraRotator. It had two drums that spun in opposite directions. It came in bright colors, but it wasn't a big success and was stopped in 2005.
- In 2002, his company created a water sculpture called Wrong Garden. It looked like water was flowing upwards, like in the drawings of artist M. C. Escher. This was shown at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2003.
In 2006, Dyson launched the Dyson Airblade, a very fast hand dryer. It uses a thin sheet of air to scrape water off your hands, instead of just using heat.
In 2009, he released a fan without external blades called the Air Multiplier. Later versions of this fan could also heat, purify air, and add moisture to the air.
- In 2016, Dyson launched a smaller and quieter hair dryer, the Dyson Supersonic.
Research and Development
Dyson's company spends a lot of money on creating new products. In 2017, they spent £7 million every week on research and development! Dyson is one of the biggest investors in robotics and artificial intelligence research in the UK. They have over 3,500 engineers and scientists working for them.
In 2014, Dyson announced plans to invest £1.5 billion more into new technology. This included building a bigger campus at their UK headquarters in Malmesbury, which would create up to 3,000 new jobs.
In 2016, Dyson announced another new research and development center at Hullavington Airfield in Wiltshire. The company wanted to double its UK workforce in the next few years.
In 2017, Dyson announced plans to make an electric vehicle. He planned to invest £2 billion of his own money and had a team of over 400 people working on it. However, in 2019, he announced that the electric car project was canceled because it wasn't going to be profitable.
Supporting Young Engineers
Dyson started the James Dyson Foundation in 2002. This charity helps support education in design and engineering. It works in the UK, US, and Japan. The foundation wants to inspire young people to study engineering and become engineers. They encourage students to think differently and not be afraid to make mistakes.
The foundation helps schools and universities with engineering education. They provide resources like the "Engineering Box," which is full of activities for schools to use for teaching.
- In 2014, the foundation gave £8 million to the University of Cambridge to create a technology hub.
- In 2015, they gave £12 million to Imperial College London to open the Dyson School of Design Engineering.
- Around 2021, the foundation gave £4 million towards building a new cancer center at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.
The foundation also supports young designers through the James Dyson Award. This is an international award that celebrates and encourages the next generation of design engineers.
Dyson and his wife also have another charity, The James and Deirdre Dyson Trust. Through this, they make personal donations. For example, in 2019 and 2023, they donated a lot of money to Dyson's old school, Gresham's School, to build new facilities for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education.
Honours and Awards
James Dyson has received many awards and honours for his work:
- 1997: Prince Philip Designers Prize
- 1998: Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
- 2000: Lord Lloyd of Kilgerran Award and an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath
- 2005: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng)
- 2007: Appointed Knight Bachelor (meaning he became "Sir James Dyson")
- 2015: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
- 2016: Appointed to the Order of Merit (OM) for his achievements in industrial design. This is a very special honour given by the King.
- 2017: Awarded IEEE Honorary Membership.
He was also the Provost of the Royal College of Art in London from 2011 to 2017.
Personal Life
James Dyson married Deirdre Hindmarsh in 1968. They have two sons and a daughter.
He owns a large estate in South Gloucestershire, England, called Dodington Park. He also owns a house in Chelsea, London.
Dyson is a big fan of Bath Rugby, a rugby team, and his company has sponsored the club since 2014.
In 2019, he bought a large apartment in Singapore, but he sold it in 2020 and moved his main home back to the UK. He has also invested a lot in buying farmland in England, becoming one of the biggest landowners in the UK.
Images for kids
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Dyson in 2013
See also
In Spanish: James Dyson para niños
