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Dyson engineer talks Hot+Cool AM04

CNET Australia talks to a Dyson engineer about the Hot+Cool AM04, as well as the Dyson design process.

Seamus Byrne Editor, Australia & Asia
Seamus Byrne is CNET's Editor for Australia and Asia. At other times he'll be found messing with apps, watching TV, building LEGO, and rolling dice. Preferably all at the same time.
Seamus Byrne
Watch this: Blowing hot air with a Dyson engineer

It first hit the market late last year, but summer is not a good time to sell heaters in Australia. Now that it's getting cooler, Dyson has kicked off a fresh look at the AM04 Hot+Cool Air Multiplier, featuring Dyson's smart new take on the idea of the traditional fan.

There is nothing simple about re-engineering seemingly simple devices to give them a new lease of life in the modern age, so we chatted with Andrew McCulloch, one of Dyson's engineers, about how the AM04 works. Thankfully, Dyson had a nice cutaway device on hand to let the engineering do a show-and-tell to help it all make sense.

The Dyson Awards are also underway, with entries open to all young designers until 2 August 2012. Australian designers have won the awards for the last two years — Edward Linacre in 2011, with his water condenser, and Samuel Adeloju in 2010, with his Longreach buoyancy bazooka. Local Dyson representatives couldn't help but show eagerness for Australians to make it a trifecta of wins down under.

Along with his explanation of the smart engineering in the AM04, we also asked McCulloch about the design process, and what he thinks any designer with a clever idea should be doing to bring it to life.