Dyson is probably best known for their cordless vacuums and hair dryers, and in an ongoing effort to become a literal household name it looks like they’re now getting into the business of lights as well.
At a launch event held in Singapore yesterday, the British company officially revealed the Dyson Lightcycle, a task light that’s the result of more than 2 years of research involving more than 90 engineers and 892 prototypes.
The new V11 Absolute vacuum and Pure Cool Me “personal purifying fan” were announced at the event as well, but the Lightcycle and its Ikea-esque utilitarian design is the product that’s really captured our attention.
Apart from aesthetics, how is the Lightcycle different from any other lamp? Well, as the name suggests, it uses a “unique time, date and location algorithm” to monitor the lighting conditions outside, and continually adjusts the brightness and colour temperature throughout the day to create a visually comfortable environment (you can change the settings to your liking too, of course).
On top of that, the lights themselves have been engineered for comfort as well — there’s a lot of going on behind the scenes (does a “heptagonal reflector split by a layer of PMMA diffusion film” mean anything to you? Yeah, us neither), but all you need to know is that the Lightcycle is extremely pleasing to look at, striking the perfect balance of illumination without ever being too glaring.
Dyson products have a reputation for being well-built (at their price point, they damn well better be), but the Lightcycle takes things to a whole other level. Using technology that’s “often used with satellites”, the Lightcycle is equipped with a vacuum-sealed copper tube that dissipates heat and supposedly maintains its original light quality for an almost unbelievable 60 years.
Too good to be true? Maybe, but we’d be impressed if it lasts for even a quarter of that time.
And of course, what’s a modern light without some smart features? The Lightcycle’s brightness and temperature can be adjusted through the Dyson Link app (though the physical touch controls are strangely satisfying to use), and you can also save up to 20 different profiles to ensure that you have a setting for every situation.
The Dyson Lightcycle is available in two variants — a desk version (S$799) for…well, desks, and a taller floor version (S$1,199) for more general use. Both will be available from July onwards at Dyson’s website and major electronics stores. Prices haven’t been disclosed for the Malaysian market, and will be released sometime in 2019.
The V11 Absolute (S$999/RM3,399), on the other hand, is available right now in both Singapore and Malaysia, while the Pure Cool Me (S$499/RM1,699) will be available later in June and May respectively.
