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These guys have taken the same physical phenomena used in the newish Dyson fans and hand dryers and found a radically different way to use it. This looks as si

These guys have taken the same physical phenomena used in the newish Dyson fans and hand dryers and found a radically different way to use it. This looks as simple as a paper clip and I think in years to come many people will wonder why they didn't think of it first. True genius EDIT: I stand corrected by HN. There are number of bags that use similar techniques and apparently airplane evacuation slides inflate using that physical phenomena as well.

jonahx 13y ago
What exactly is the phenomenon they're taking advantage of?
- peterwwillis 13y ago
  Technically the pressure gradient force, but also gravity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure-gradient_force http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure-gradient_force "A difference in pressure across a surface then implies a difference in force, which can result in an acceleration" [..] "The resulting force is always directed from the region of higher-pressure to the region of lower-pressure" The lower pressure is the fast-moving hot wind from your mouth. The higher pressure is all the air around it. So it's like a reverse vacuum. Kinda.
UnoriginalGuy 13y ago
Speaking of which, I wonder if they'll need to deal with patents. From what I understand Dyson has that technology wrapped up tight. PS - Dyson's fans are also terrible. Great concept, poorly executed. They wanted them to be sleek, so they used tiny motors which are LOUD making Dyson's Air Multiplier far louder than other fans WITH blades. PPS - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVbEE0Qe4BQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVbEE0Qe4BQ
- kaolinite 13y ago
  I'm planning to buy a Dyson Air Multiplier heater/fan very soon so this comment intrigued me. I'll be sure to go to a store to check them out in advance. I didn't really like the video you linked as I find it to be a bit of a red flag when someone calls something "overpriced", especially when they go on to be very negative about it - it almost feels like jealousy. Still, I'll look into it before I buy. I don't suppose you know of any other fans/heaters that you would recommend?
  - UnoriginalGuy 13y ago
    I've played with Dyson's Air Multipliers in a department store and they really are that loud when you turn them up to mid-high setting. "Too loud." I wish I could recommend you a high quality fan, I've looked, and frankly it is pretty slim pickings out there. Currently I have an unbranded Chinese-made one. I'd kill for an ultra-quiet nighttime one, and pay good $$$ for it too.
    - notdrunkatall 13y ago
      You don't have to kill for one. I've had a Lasko tower fan for about three years now. It's almost entirely silent, moves a lot of air, and comes with a remote. I did have to take it apart to regrease the bearings once, but other than that, it's been a great fan. Also comes with a remote. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=lasko+tower+fan http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3D...
      - malexw 13y ago
        Do you have any advice on regreasing the bearings? I've got one of those fans but it's starting to cease up on me.
        notdrunkatall 13y ago
        Yeah, it's a fairly straightforward process. The top bearing isn't actually a bearing at all, but a simple piece of flat steel that basically just holds the top spindle of the blower in place. When you take the fan apart, you'll see what I mean. It's lubricated by some cotton infused with some pretty thin lubricant, and over time, that lubricant/cotton combo loses its lubricity. Mine was starting to make noise, so I took it apart and slathered wheel bearing grease on that contact point, and it's been going for six months now with no problems.
    - mogrim 13y ago
      Get a ceiling fan, they're usually a lot quieter.
- robomartin 13y ago
  I haven't (and will not) invest any time doing the numbers but, a quick think about the Dyson fans leads me to conclude the whole thing is a big marketing scam. Kudos for pulling it off, but the thing ain't magic. For starters, it has blades. It definitely has blades. They are simply concealed. It's like saying my computer has no fans when the fans are not visible from the outside. Nonsense. Second, it takes a certain amount of power to accelerate a mass of air to a given speed. That does not change magically because the thing has a Dyson sticker on it. The most efficient way to accelerate a mass of air is, wait for it, a properly designed fan. It am pretty certain the Dyson contraption is actually much less efficient than a properly designed plain fan which produces the same airflow. It absolutely could not be more efficient, no way. Nowhere in conventional physics do you get more --of anything-- than you are entitled to. In fact, the larger the fan the more efficiently it can accelerate a mass of air. Because the Dyson fans are constrained by the small space of the base they have to use screaming little fans to push against the back-pressure produced by the path the air has to follow. Maybe not as sexy, but a really well designed fan with optimized airfoils and balanced rotor IS magical in the sense that it can be so much better than the stamped metal contraptions one usually finds at the store. I have seen fans like that come-up here and there but they are rare. I did a project many years ago where we had to design and optimize an efficient cooling system for a 1500 Watt LED array. We ultimately ended-up going with a hybrid fluid/air system. However, for the bulk of the project we tried to make an air-only approach work because it was deemed simpler and easier to manufacture. I learned a lot from running tons and tons of FEA fluid and thermal simulations as making a number of prototypes. There is no free lunch (AKA: Conservation of Energy).
  - darkmighty 13y ago
    I haven't seen any checks on this, but I suspect the Dyson can probably move more air than a regular fan. It probably isn't more raw energy-efficient, but it can be more comfort energy-efficient (more comfort for the same energy), because their principle makes sense -- if you use a regular fan, you air speed is going to be dictated by the blade speed, while the amount of air depends on the area. With the dyson, they can get a much greater area, which dictates confort, with the same air speed, because they've distributed the stream along this circle, and it picks up more air as it goes (and loses speed). My point is, it may be poorly executed, but in principle it sounds nice, not even taking into account you don't actually have an exposed blade to worry about. It's not a scam.
nodata 13y ago
What's the name of the phenomena? ot: I find Dyson's bladeless fans way too weak (and loud) Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_effect
- mikeash 13y ago
  It's briefly mentioned in the video: entrainment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrainment_(hydrodynamics) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrainment_(hydrodynamics)
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  Not Venturi. Venturi is when an airflow in a constricted space is further constricted.
amvp 13y ago
Example of the the baader-meinhof phenomenon? I learnt about this it a few days ago, as its the same phenomena used by Brain Brushwood in this weeks scam school - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at0xRBacJF8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at0xRBacJF8 where he attributes it to the 'bernoulli effect'.
- adaml_623 13y ago
  I don't think you mean Baader-meinhof ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baader-Meinhof_(disambiguation) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baader-Meinhof_(disambiguation) ) They do mention the bernoulli effect in the Kickstarter video
  - zwieback 13y ago
    I think amvp saw it a few days ago and then again now, hence the reference to the Baader-Meinhof frequency illusion. I hadn't heard about that until 5 minutes ago but I grew up in Stuttgart so the real Baader Meinhof guys are some bad memories from my youth. No doubt I'll be seeing random references to Baader Meinhof in the next few days.
  - krrrh 13y ago
    He did mean Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (recency illusion). The Wikipedia editors deleted the old entry and made it a straight redirect to the "cognitive biases" page for some bizarre reason. I'd link to an explanation of what it is, but I'm sure you'll find a reference to it again in the next few days.
  - xanadohnt 13y ago
    From Damn Interesting - http://www.damninteresting.com/the-baader-meinhof-phenomenon/ http://www.damninteresting.com/the-baader-meinhof-phenomenon... Although, in my circle, it will forever be known as the Pizza Stone Phenomenon.

jonahx 13y ago

What exactly is the phenomenon they're taking advantage of?

peterwwillis 13y ago
Technically the pressure gradient force, but also gravity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure-gradient_force http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure-gradient_force "A difference in pressure across a surface then implies a difference in force, which can result in an acceleration" [..] "The resulting force is always directed from the region of higher-pressure to the region of lower-pressure" The lower pressure is the fast-moving hot wind from your mouth. The higher pressure is all the air around it. So it's like a reverse vacuum. Kinda.

UnoriginalGuy 13y ago

Speaking of which, I wonder if they'll need to deal with patents. From what I understand Dyson has that technology wrapped up tight. PS - Dyson's fans are also terrible. Great concept, poorly executed. They wanted them to be sleek, so they used tiny motors which are LOUD making Dyson's Air Multiplier far louder than other fans WITH blades. PPS - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVbEE0Qe4BQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVbEE0Qe4BQ

kaolinite 13y ago
I'm planning to buy a Dyson Air Multiplier heater/fan very soon so this comment intrigued me. I'll be sure to go to a store to check them out in advance. I didn't really like the video you linked as I find it to be a bit of a red flag when someone calls something "overpriced", especially when they go on to be very negative about it - it almost feels like jealousy. Still, I'll look into it before I buy. I don't suppose you know of any other fans/heaters that you would recommend?
- UnoriginalGuy 13y ago
  I've played with Dyson's Air Multipliers in a department store and they really are that loud when you turn them up to mid-high setting. "Too loud." I wish I could recommend you a high quality fan, I've looked, and frankly it is pretty slim pickings out there. Currently I have an unbranded Chinese-made one. I'd kill for an ultra-quiet nighttime one, and pay good $$$ for it too.
  - notdrunkatall 13y ago
    You don't have to kill for one. I've had a Lasko tower fan for about three years now. It's almost entirely silent, moves a lot of air, and comes with a remote. I did have to take it apart to regrease the bearings once, but other than that, it's been a great fan. Also comes with a remote. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=lasko+tower+fan http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3D...
    - malexw 13y ago
      Do you have any advice on regreasing the bearings? I've got one of those fans but it's starting to cease up on me.
      - notdrunkatall 13y ago
        Yeah, it's a fairly straightforward process. The top bearing isn't actually a bearing at all, but a simple piece of flat steel that basically just holds the top spindle of the blower in place. When you take the fan apart, you'll see what I mean. It's lubricated by some cotton infused with some pretty thin lubricant, and over time, that lubricant/cotton combo loses its lubricity. Mine was starting to make noise, so I took it apart and slathered wheel bearing grease on that contact point, and it's been going for six months now with no problems.
  - mogrim 13y ago
    Get a ceiling fan, they're usually a lot quieter.
robomartin 13y ago
I haven't (and will not) invest any time doing the numbers but, a quick think about the Dyson fans leads me to conclude the whole thing is a big marketing scam. Kudos for pulling it off, but the thing ain't magic. For starters, it has blades. It definitely has blades. They are simply concealed. It's like saying my computer has no fans when the fans are not visible from the outside. Nonsense. Second, it takes a certain amount of power to accelerate a mass of air to a given speed. That does not change magically because the thing has a Dyson sticker on it. The most efficient way to accelerate a mass of air is, wait for it, a properly designed fan. It am pretty certain the Dyson contraption is actually much less efficient than a properly designed plain fan which produces the same airflow. It absolutely could not be more efficient, no way. Nowhere in conventional physics do you get more --of anything-- than you are entitled to. In fact, the larger the fan the more efficiently it can accelerate a mass of air. Because the Dyson fans are constrained by the small space of the base they have to use screaming little fans to push against the back-pressure produced by the path the air has to follow. Maybe not as sexy, but a really well designed fan with optimized airfoils and balanced rotor IS magical in the sense that it can be so much better than the stamped metal contraptions one usually finds at the store. I have seen fans like that come-up here and there but they are rare. I did a project many years ago where we had to design and optimize an efficient cooling system for a 1500 Watt LED array. We ultimately ended-up going with a hybrid fluid/air system. However, for the bulk of the project we tried to make an air-only approach work because it was deemed simpler and easier to manufacture. I learned a lot from running tons and tons of FEA fluid and thermal simulations as making a number of prototypes. There is no free lunch (AKA: Conservation of Energy).
- darkmighty 13y ago
  I haven't seen any checks on this, but I suspect the Dyson can probably move more air than a regular fan. It probably isn't more raw energy-efficient, but it can be more comfort energy-efficient (more comfort for the same energy), because their principle makes sense -- if you use a regular fan, you air speed is going to be dictated by the blade speed, while the amount of air depends on the area. With the dyson, they can get a much greater area, which dictates confort, with the same air speed, because they've distributed the stream along this circle, and it picks up more air as it goes (and loses speed). My point is, it may be poorly executed, but in principle it sounds nice, not even taking into account you don't actually have an exposed blade to worry about. It's not a scam.

nodata 13y ago

What's the name of the phenomena? ot: I find Dyson's bladeless fans way too weak (and loud) Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_effect

mikeash 13y ago
It's briefly mentioned in the video: entrainment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrainment_(hydrodynamics) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrainment_(hydrodynamics)
sliverstorm 13y ago
Not Venturi. Venturi is when an airflow in a constricted space is further constricted.

amvp 13y ago

Example of the the baader-meinhof phenomenon? I learnt about this it a few days ago, as its the same phenomena used by Brain Brushwood in this weeks scam school - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at0xRBacJF8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at0xRBacJF8 where he attributes it to the 'bernoulli effect'.

adaml_623 13y ago
I don't think you mean Baader-meinhof ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baader-Meinhof_(disambiguation) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baader-Meinhof_(disambiguation) ) They do mention the bernoulli effect in the Kickstarter video
- zwieback 13y ago
  I think amvp saw it a few days ago and then again now, hence the reference to the Baader-Meinhof frequency illusion. I hadn't heard about that until 5 minutes ago but I grew up in Stuttgart so the real Baader Meinhof guys are some bad memories from my youth. No doubt I'll be seeing random references to Baader Meinhof in the next few days.
- krrrh 13y ago
  He did mean Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (recency illusion). The Wikipedia editors deleted the old entry and made it a straight redirect to the "cognitive biases" page for some bizarre reason. I'd link to an explanation of what it is, but I'm sure you'll find a reference to it again in the next few days.
- xanadohnt 13y ago
  From Damn Interesting - http://www.damninteresting.com/the-baader-meinhof-phenomenon/ http://www.damninteresting.com/the-baader-meinhof-phenomenon... Although, in my circle, it will forever be known as the Pizza Stone Phenomenon.