The humble electric desk fan has changed little since Schuyler Wheeler invented it back it 1882, and despite attempts to improve on its design – such as moving from steel to plastic blades – its inherent safety, cleaning and airflow problems have persisted. Until now. Thanks to James Dyson’s ingenuity, we now have this brilliant blower called the Bladeless Fan (aka the Dyson Air Multiplier) which does away with bothersome blades entirely – making safety concerns a non-issue, airflow smooth and unbuffeted and cleaning a breeze (without the struggle of disassembly to clear accumulated dust).
Winner of Time magazine’s “Best Inventions” award and using jet engine technology to provide us with a next-gen airflow solution, the Bladeless Fan uses a turbine sealed in its base to draw in air and propel it up to its loop amplifier. The air is then expelled through a tiny 1mm slot around the circumference of the loop and across a finely-tuned 16º airfoil-shaped ramp that accelerates and amplifies airflow as much as 15 times. It uses the aerodynamic principles of inducement (pulling air from behind) and entrainment (drawing air from the front and sides), creating an invisible vortex that results in a smooth, constant, uninterrupted flow of cooling air – unlike regular fans that chop the air into uneven intermittent breezes.
Including a dial that allows smooth adjustment of the air velocity, the Bladeless Fan even oscillates 90º and tilts 10º up or down – maintaining the flexibility we’ve come to expect from electric fans. Measuring 12″ wide x 19.5″ high and with a 5.5-inch diameter base that takes up a lot less space on your desktop or table than old-style models, the Bladeless Fan is also lightweight at just 4 lbs and is available now – with a graphical video of the technology in action – over at Hammacher Schlemmer for $299.95.
