Dyson
Our work with Dyson is driving innovation in our homes and powering a more sustainable future.
Driving innovation
Dyson is synonymous with innovation in household appliances, from vacuum cleaners to hairdryers.
We've been working with Dyson for over 16 years. We drive innovation in machine design, power electronics and control theory. Our partnership has helped advance a range of Dyson household products.
Now we’re going faster and further together. We're looking to the future of efficient power systems that are not just world-leading, but world-improving.
How we work together
Born from industry-need, our research focuses on:
- domestic power systems
- power electronics
- electromagnetics
- heat transfer and fluid flow
- integrated drive research and design
- coupled electromagnetics, mechanics and thermals of motor design
- advanced control of motors and actuators
Dyson have recruited over 20 engineers from Newcastle’s undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This demonstrates the close alignment of our University’s teaching content, quality, and tools with Dyson’s research needs and practices.
A shared vision
Our shared vision is for Dyson’s electrical consumer goods to be world leaders in functionality and sustainability.
Products will be smaller and consume less energy, setting new industry standards in:
- environmentally sound manufacturing processes
- reduced scrap
- recyclability
- increased product lifetimes, reducing material and energy usage
Working at the forefront of how electrical consumer products are designed and manufactured, we will drive change, applying cutting-edge design philosophies to an even wider range of products and systems.
Dyson Future Power Systems Lab
With funding from the EPSRC Prosperity Partnership programme, we are creating a cross-disciplinary team of engineers. Their remit is to develop new designs, prototypes and products that are:
- substantially lighter
- more efficient
- more reliable
- more recyclable
Our Newcastle research office is expanding. It was established in 2006 under the direction of Dyson’s Research, Design and Development (RDD) arm.
Dyson and University research staff work with an outstanding early career fellow in motor drives. They have taken over new office and lab space equipped with high specification equipment.
This has created an expert team in electromagnetics, power electronics and thermal research. We've also bolstered the team with ten sponsored PhD placements from the Sustainable Electric Propulsion CDT. Our vision is to apply a multi-physics approach to solving the future challenge in power systems.
How it all began
Our collaboration in the fields of power electronics, machines and drives stretches back nearly two decades.
It began with Andy Clothier, a PhD graduate of Prof Barrie Mecrow. He initiated Dyson’s digital motor development programme, progressing to become Dyson’s Senior Director of Technical Research.
A unique feature of our partnership has been the embedding of full-time Dyson staff with academic staff and PhD students at Newcastle.
Together we have co-created a significant amount of knowledge and intellectual property in:
- magnetics
- machine design
- power electronics design
- control theory
Why does Dyson have a lab at Newcastle University?
We are one of the UK’s leading research universities in the field of electrical power conversion.
Our Electrical Power Research Group is world-leading and the largest academic research group of its kind in the UK. It offers expertise in power system design and control for high power density electric drives with high efficiencies and low cost. This complements our partnership with Dyson.
The research group’s specialisms span:
- photovoltaic control
- automotive and aerospace propulsion
- smart grid design and management
- electrical propulsion
- electrical consumer products
Newcastle’s world-class teaching and course content linked to real-world applications also align with Dyson’s research needs and practices. This has contributed to strong recruitment links between the partners, including 3 directors.
We are a founding member of the Faraday Institution, the UK’s flagship battery research programme. We also spearhead the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s (APC) network spoke for Electric Machines.
We’re the lead partner in Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centres (DER-IC). This is a £28.5m government investment into developing the UK's clean and resilient supply chains in power electronics, machines and drives (PEMD).
We are a leading member of the Future Electrical Machines Manufacturing Hub’s (FEMM) group of universities. The group researches future materials and manufacturing methods for electrical machines. The Electrical Power Research Group is well placed to complement Dyson’s aims in this field.