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Famously, over a four-year period, James Dyson made 5,127 prototypes of the cyclonic vacuum cleaner that would transform the way houses are cleaned around the world. In devoting all his resources to iteratively setbacks came hard-fought success. His products—including vacuum cleaners, hair dryer and hair stylers, and fans and purifiers—are not only revolutionary technologies, but design classics. This was a legacy of his time studying at the Royal College of Art in the 1960s, when he was inspired by some of the most famous artists, designers, and inventors of the era, as well as his engineering heroes such as Frank Whittle and Alex Issigonis.
In Invention: A Life, Dyson reveals how he came to set up his own company and led it to become one of the most inventive technology companies in the world. It is a compelling and dramatic tale, with many obstacles overcome. Dyson has always looked to the future, even setting up his own university to help provide the next generation of engineers and designers. For, as he says, "everything changes all the time, so experience is of little use."
Whether you are someone who has an idea for a better product, an aspiring entrepreneur, whether you appreciate great design or a page-turning read, Invention: A Life is an "entertaining and inspiring memoir" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) that offers motivation, hope, and much more.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 7, 2021 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781982188443
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781982188443
- File size: 106802 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from September 1, 2021
The British inventor and vacuum-cleaner magnate delivers a paean to creativity and creation. Now 74, Dyson grew up in a household headed by an "ever-cheerful polymath" who died of cancer when the author was a teenager. He had instilled in his young son self-reliance and the joys of experimentation and failure (if you don't fail, you don't learn). Dyson trained as an artist and industrial designer, but his real interest was to "pioneer a better solution to existing technologies and products." By his count, slogging through engineering textbooks and manuals, he failed precisely 5,127 times before coming up with the cyclonic vacuum cleaner that would separate dust and dirt from air while using as little energy as possible. The result was considerable wealth and a product so popular that Dyson's British plant could not fulfill demand, which forced him to relocate manufacturing to Asia. About this Dyson is sanguine: His company is privately held, allowing him to do as he pleases, and Europe and North America, while important markets, are less vigorous than Asia, which "is growing at three times the rate of Western economies." The author is ever the geeky scientist and engineer, as when he writes of the biological parameters of building the perfect hair dryer: "Over 230�C (450�F), hair begins to burn or melt with strong disulphide bonds breaking down quickly. The surface of the hair becomes cratered, with reflectiveness lost, leading to a reduction in shine and gloss, along with damage." His overarching point is very well taken: He makes a powerful argument that our educational systems are not giving sufficient attention to fostering creativity and the independent spirit required of the inventor, thereby stifling innovation. Against this, he has built a university combining in-class and apprenticeship learning even as he indulges in a newfound passion: farming. An entertaining and inspiring memoir by a fellow who's nearly impossible to pigeonhole--and good thing, too.COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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