'We've ruined many of James' Persian rugs over the years' Dyson designer shares the development secrets of the brand's new robovac lineup

Date:
Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:24:02 +0000

Description:
I got the inside scoop on Dyson's new Nurovi robot vacuums including one feature that's been sitting in a cupboard for years, just waiting for a home.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter After a less-than-enthusiastic response to 2023's 360 Vis Nav , Dyson got the wheels rolling on its return
to the robot vacuum market last year with its Spot+Scrub Ai . Now it seems momentum is building: this September the brand unveiled not one, but three
new bots that would be joining the lineup.

There's the flagship R3 Nurovi Spot+Scrub UV a successor to the Spot+Scrub
Ai alongside the R2 Nurovi Wash+Dry, and the R1 Nurovi Dry. I got a peek at all three at Dyson's IFA -adjacent launch event earlier in the month, and was intrigued to see some unique new features. To get the inside scoop, I caught up with Nathan Lawson Mclean, a Dyson senior design manager who works across the brand's home products. Here are the five most surprising things I learned about the new Nurovi robot vacuum range... Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: 1. Triangle mops have been in Dyson's invention cupboard for years The R2 Nurovi Wash+Dry has a rather unusual mopping setup. Instead of two circular discs, it uses a pair of rounded 'Reuleaux' triangles. These rotate 'eccentrically' that is, the point of rotation isn't central. The
pads move like a rotary engine, or a Spirograph, depending on your preferred analogy. The benefit is the shape can get much closer into corners.

What's interesting is that this design has been in Dyson's back pocket for a while now, just waiting to be added to a suitable product. You may like
'It'll light up your home like a bowling alley' Dyson's new robovac has a UV light to see invisible spills I've tested almost every Dyson vacuum these
are my top recommendations I've seen 2027's new robot vacuums here are 3 major trends set to level-up their cleaning

"These have always been in development," says Lawson Mclean. "I remember the first Reuleaux pads those were initially developed back in 2019. We put it
on the front of a brush bar in a cleaner just to try and get into corners.
And what it ended up doing, you can imagine, [it was] a bit like riding a bicycle with square wheels. It caused too much ricocheting." As shown above, one of the mop pads can extend to the side to get closer to room edges (Image credit: Future) This is apparently not an unusual scenario at Dyson. "We're actually always developing these technologies in tandem," he continues. "It's just about what's the right timing; the platform that we're able to integrate it on. You'll see that we're starting to get to the point where we're packing [new products] full of our unique Dyson technologies." Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. 2. Not everyone wanted the side sweepers All three of the new Nurovi robovacs have distinctive side sweepers. They feature a design that Lawson Mclean calls 'origami-inspired', but to me, looks more like a fish's fin. Apparently, the brand founder wasn't a fan originally.

"Side sweepers were always a bit of a faux pas with James Dyson," reveals Lawson Mclean. "He hated them. He thought they scattered dirt everywhere."
For that reason, the brand's early models didn't have side sweepers at all the 360 Vis Nav had a side duct that poked out when the bot sensed it was
near the edge of a room.

"Side sweepers are fantastic. They are just a little chaotic. They also tend to wear out," continues Lawson Mclean. "More importantly, in James' eyes,
they [end up getting] wrapped and covered in hair, which is a bit gross."
What to read next "Theyre built around their function" Jake Dyson on the unique look of the company's products I took a deep dive into the future of robot vacuums here's what the big brands have cooking I've used the Dyson
V15 Detect for two years, and I'd still recommend it over a Shark here's why (Image credit: Future) For the Nurovi, the Dyson engineers reimagined the traditional sweeper style to solve these issues, using "some of the advanced geometry" from the brand's conical cleaner heads found on the likes of the Dyson V16 .

"It kind of has this really interesting over-molded pattern that holds the nylon bristles at a very specific angle on the floor, helping us to avoid scattering this dust around, and corral things in a more controlled manner.
It also stops hair wrapping around it so readily, too," says Lawson Mclean. "So it's a small, simple, effective, quality of life improvement." 3. UV will light up spills 'like a bowling alley' The big, flashy upgrade found on the flagship R3 Nurovi Spot+Scrub UV is well, UV. A UV light mounted onto the bot will highlight dried-on, invisible substances, ranging from sugary drinks to milk, tonic water and sparkling water. The R3 will then 'scrub' back and
forth over the area to clear the mess before it gets sticky, or starts to smell.

"As the robot's running around your home on its mission, it will now expose these totally invisible stains that become breeding grounds for bacteria," explains Lawson Mclean. "You'd be surprised what fluoresces a bit like a bowling alley in your own home. 4. The R1 is for those who don't trust robo-mops It's increasingly rare to see a vacuum-only robot vac on the market these days, but Dyson has included one in its new lineup: the R1 Nurovi Dry. There were a multitude of reasons for this bot to exist, says Lawson Mclean. It's great for people who don't have have hard flooring in their home, or are looking for a more affordable option, or simply want to avoid as he puts it "a great big bloody dock like some robots have".

But it's also designed as an option for those who are wary of robo-mops. "There are many people who I know for a fact, through user trials don't trust robotic vacuums with their carpets. You know we've ruined many of
James' Persian rugs over the years," he recalls, presumably referring to
brand founder James Dyson. "[It's] perhaps even a bit of an entry gateway to robotic vacuums, converting those people that don't really see the value of wet and dry robots just yet." The Dyson R1 Nurovi (left) is a vacuum-only sister model to the wet-and-dry R2 (right) (Image credit: Future) 5. One
major update has nothing to do with the design There are plenty of
interesting design features, but it might turn out that one of the most significant upgrades is nothing to do with the robot itself at all. "I think when we talk about, 'Why are people not using this fantastic technology?', there's a lot of barriers. There are, just really pragmatically," says Lawson Mclean. "Even, I think, with people [in their 30s], they go, yeah, I don't really understand it, I don't really know what the setup is like."

Dyson's response has been to set up a 'white glove' onboarding service, which takes the form of an actual human who will, via video call, walk you through the setup process. That includes everything from unboxing and connecting the bot to mapping your home properly.

It's part of the new 'Dyson Concierge' service, and it's free with your purchase. (At time of writing, the service is being advertised on Dyson US, but not yet on the UK or Australian sites I'm confirming if and when it'll
be available in these territories.)

"When we started doing it, we just saw this huge uplift," recalls Lawson Mclean. "It wasn't a problem with the robots. It was just a problem with people having poor maps to begin with because perhaps they left a door
closed, you know?" Take a look at the full Dyson robovac range Below you can see the Dyson robot vacuums currently available in your country.

Note: the R3 Spot+Scrub UV is not yet available to buy. In the US, it was meant to launch exclusively at CostCo in early September, but at time of writing (14 Sept) is hasn't arrived yet . It's due to arrive in the UK and Australia in 'early 2027'. Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai Robot Vacuum Wayfair $1,030.99 Shop Now View Details Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/home/robot-vacuums/weve-ruined-many-of-james-persian -rugs-over-the-years-dyson-designer-shares-the-development-secrets-of-the-bran ds-new-robovac-lineup


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)