So, we took about 200 hours’ worth of data, on different days, in different wind conditions, at different locations around the site and built a sizable database of what the wind is doing in summer in the UK. Well, specifically Cotswold wind!
When you take into account those different wind speeds on those different days, you find that the dynamic characteristics - or the turbulence - in wind is fairly universal.
Once you had an idea of what a typical breeze 'feels like' what came next?
The next phase of the experiment was to recreate it. The product was still far from finalised at that stage, but we had developed steerable jets to channel the airflow. We took the same equipment we were using to study the wind outside, brought that back inside into the laboratory, and started playing around with different algorithms to move these motors around in order to replicate the breeze.
We programmed algorithms into the stepper motors that move these jets side to side, and we programmed some randomness into that motion. After making little tweaks here or there, we were very close to replicating the same characteristics of what you get outside.
So how does it mechanically recreate the breeze and what so special about it?
The fact that you've got two jets gives an extra dimension. You might be getting hit from one jet slowly, while the other jet is hitting you quickly, so, you end up with a very wide spectrum of sensation from this device.
There are other fans who have done this in the past but it's the way we do it is unique. The fact that we do it by moving two jets, means we can push air out over a wide area but also, because we are moving these jets passed people, you do get those extra dynamics to it.
This is a really good example of fundamental research that we do in Dyson, and how that fundamental research builds into the whole development story. We really did start with quite basic research into the wind here and then got into the nitty-gritty of it, looking at the turbulence at quite a significant level. Then, we implemented that into a product, that gives a user a benefit at the end of it. It's something we're particularly proud of here.