The amazing Dyson Airblade
oktober 25th, 2008
Returning from Denmark last Monday, I had a short stop at London Waterloo, where I had the pleasure of paying 30p to use the bathroom, and there have an encounter with the so-called Dyson Airblade.
As I was drying my hands in it, I read something like ‘The Dyson Airblade uses up to 83% less energy than conventional warm air hand dryers…’ Smart. Apparently, it also burns your hands; or at least, that’s how it felt. Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit, but I could feel the evening and the next day that part of my hand had been exposed to a too high temperature.
This is how it works: Air flows horizontally like a ‘blade’ (hence the name), and beneath is a hollow space, so effectively, you dry your hands by moving them up and down, allowing the ‘air-blade’ to dry them. This worked fine. Until I thought ‘let’s try this again’, and suddenly my hand got pulled to the side of the ‘blade’ (where the air is coming out). A piece of advice when using the air-blade: Keep your hands firmly in the middle 
Entry Filed under: Technology,Travel,UK
4 Comments Add your own
1. Niels Tvesok | oktober 27th, 2008 at 21:23
Jeg stødte også på den (eller en tilsvarende) på en dansk rasteplads, da konen og jeg var på vej hjem fra Harzen for halvanden uges tid siden.
En helt ny og sjov fornemmelse.
Mine hænder har det fint efter dette møde. Det havde de til gengæld ikke for fire uger siden, da jeg kom til at lime fingrene sammen med sekundlim.
2. Kenneth Birch | oktober 28th, 2008 at 00:27
Ja, og jeg mødte den så i sidste uge i et center i Sydney. Jeg holdt hænderne i midten og brændte mig ikke, så det virkede faktisk udmærket. Men den larmer rimelig meget.
3. jay | november 3rd, 2008 at 19:46
The Dyson Airblade does not have a heating element (ie. no hot air at all). This is one reason why it uses so much less power.
The only slight sensation of heat comes from cold air being forced through a very small aperture – friction heats the air. There is absolutely no way whatsoever that it is possible to burn oneself.
4. raabjerg | november 4th, 2008 at 16:34
Thanks for your comment, Jay. I don’t know exactly what heated the air or made my hand hurt, but there was definitely something. It is possible it was friction heat, and I suppose a possibility is that it wasn’t heat at all, but simply the extremely fast-flowing air that did something to my hand. It felt like a slight burn in any case.
On the other hand, I have been known to be over-sensitive :p
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