Some of us will have sampled Dyson’s hand-driers or its revolutionary, blade-less fans, using the company’s Air Multiplier technology. Twenty-two engineers, including experts in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, and three years later, Dyson has released its Hot & Cool fan–heater.
   The company claims that it’s the fastest at heating a room evenly and efficiently, with settings between 1°C and 37°C. When it reaches the set temperature, it monitors the room and if a drop is detected, it turns back on. It can be used effectively as a fan.
   There are no visible heating elements and no blades, and the heater will shut off if tipped over. It also comes with a remote control.
   The Air Multiplier technique sees air drawn in ‘through a mixed flow impeller, a combination of the technologies used in turbochargers and jet engines. Air passes over the ceramic plates and heats up. It is then accelerated through a 2·5 mm aperture set within the loop amplifier. This creates a jet of hot air, which passes over an airfoil-shaped ramp channelling its direction. Surrounding air is drawn into the airflow, amplifying it six times in a process known as inducement and entrainment,’ says Dyson.
   The Dyson Hot & Cool launches April 1 in New Zealand, and retails at NZ$649. Colour combinations will be iron and blue, and white and silver.