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Motors: Re-inventing the way machines are powered

Electric motors had changed little since Faraday's time. Lots of sparks, heat and wasted energy. In the Dyson digital motor, intelligent electronics constantly adjust to create a powerful magnetic field – spinning a neodymium magnet 104,000 times a minute.

It was developed by Dyson's in-house motors team. It's a multi-disciplinary team, including hardware, software, electromagnetic machine design, motor control and simulation, FEA and aerodynamics engineers. Experience ranges from recent graduates and PhDs to senior engineers.

Engineer profile:

Dave Jones

Principal Engineer

The opportunity to simultaneously push the boundaries of technology and deliver world-class machines is endlessly stimulating. I came to Dyson with an engineering degree. Now I am a Principal Engineer and work with some of the finest engineers in the country, designing future high performance motors.

The latest Dyson digital motor is a 200W, single-phase, BLDC design that can operate at a speed of 104,000rpm (which it reaches in under a second). It's also >85% efficient (electrical-to-mechanical power), has fully integrated power electronics and control, and utilises a high-strength Nd-Fe-B sintered magnet. The control system provides constant power across the operational speed and battery voltage range. It's assembled using a highly-automated production process. 27 patents filed to date.

At Dyson we're part of a team that with a rare combination of both great breadth and great depth of technical and creative skill. There's a real sense here that anything is possible.

Dave Ions Senior RDD Engineer

As engineers we are encouraged to think differently to progress our designs and develop new technology. That means exploring all possibilities and fully understanding both our successes and failures.

Mark Wingfield Senior Mechanical Engineer

The Dyson research and development team is an environment where you can contribute to the technologies of the future. I find that really exciting.

Caroline Simcock Project Manager

Find a job in the Motors department The evolution of the Dyson cylinder

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