The Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool arrives with a bold promise: a bladeless fan that uses a built-in camera to track your position and aim airflow directly at you. This $850 device might sound like a futuristic convenience, but the catch is simple — you’re paying a premium for tech that raises privacy flags and delivers familiar air purification features.
- Uses a 17-point camera system to track human presence and adjust airflow
- Features sealed HEPA H13 and upgraded carbon filters to capture pollutants
- Supports Matter smart home standard for Apple, Google, and Amazon integration
- Claims to delete video data locally, not sending images to the cloud
Flagship Tech Meets a Pricey Fan
Dyson’s new Purifier Cool isn’t your average fan. It stands 41.3 inches tall, weighing 12 pounds with a slim 8.6-inch base. The standout feature is its periscope-style camera that tracks where you are in the room, aiming the breeze accordingly. On paper, this sounds great for personalized comfort — but the question is whether this is a solution in search of a problem.
The fan can detect when a second person joins and will oscillate up to 350 degrees to share airflow. It also knows when you leave and will stop moving to save energy, eventually entering a low-power mode if the room stays empty for an hour. This camera-based presence detection is a step above typical motion sensors, but it also means you’re inviting a live camera into your personal space, even if Dyson insists it only processes data locally without storing or sharing images.
Filters You’ve Seen Before, With a Slight Upgrade
As an air purifier, the Find+Follow uses Dyson’s familiar sealed HEPA H13 filter to trap small particles like pollen and pet dander. The carbon filter claims a 50% improvement in nitrogen dioxide absorption compared to previous models. Plus, there’s a permanent filter designed to break down formaldehyde — a toxic indoor pollutant.
Noise levels drop significantly in sleep mode, reportedly 50% quieter than maximum settings, which is useful but hardly groundbreaking in this price range.
Smart Home Flexibility Comes Standard
Dyson embraces the Matter smart home standard this time around, allowing the fan to connect directly to Apple Home, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa ecosystems without relying solely on Dyson’s own app. This is a welcome change, simplifying integration for users already embedded in these platforms.
The Big Picture
Dyson’s Find+Follow Purifier Cool attempts to blend smart tracking with air purification in a single tower. The tech is undeniably clever — a camera-based system that targets airflow sounds like a neat idea. But $850 is a steep price for what is essentially a tower fan with a fancy sensor and filters that don’t drastically outperform cheaper alternatives.
Privacy concerns linger despite Dyson’s assurances. Processing video locally sounds good, but the presence of a camera indoors will make some uneasy. Also, the real-world benefits of tracking your movement for airflow direction are marginal unless you’re obsessively picky about fan positioning.
From a broader perspective, this product signals Dyson’s push to justify premium pricing through niche smart features rather than core improvements. For most users, a standard bladeless fan combined with a standalone air purifier will deliver similar results without the privacy trade-offs or hefty cost.
(Via)
