Dyson unveils hand drying Airblade Tap
Dyson has announced the Airblade Tap, a novel innovation that combines a high speed hand dryer with hot and cold water outlets.
The hybrid device relies on infrared sensors to detect whether a person's hands are positioned for washing or drying, and releases either water from the central tap stem or two high velocity sheets of air from the tap branches.
At the heart of the Airblade Tap is Dyson's new digital motor, which relies on a bonded magnet encased in a carbon fibre sleeve.
The motor, which contains just three moving parts, took seven years, 100 engineers and £26.9million to develop.
The company says that by using digital pulse technology, it is able to accelerate from 0 to 90,000rpm in 12 seconds, and generate enough power to shift 30 litres of air per second.
As well as reducing the amount of floorspace needed in public washrooms and preventing water dripping on the floor, the Airblade Tap is said to cost up to 69% less to run per year than other hand dryers, and up to 97% less than paper towels.
In addition, it uses HEPA filters to capture 99.9% of bacteria and viruses in the washroom - allowing hands to be dried using clean, not dirty air.
Those of you wanting to get your hands on (or under) the Airblade Tap will be able to do so from March for a mere £1,000.
