James Dyson is Britain's best known inventor and a popular celebrity entrepreneur thanks to his talent for self-publicity and high profile court cases to defend his patents. He describes himself as 'A man who likes to make things work better', and founded Dyson in 1993, which is now worth over £3 billion worldwide.
Dyson is an independent manufacturer of vacuum cleaners, washing machines and hand dryers. The company invented the concept of dual cyclone suction, and created a whole new category of bagless vacuum cleaners. They come in several ranges, including upright, cylinder and hand-held and the company also sells several vacuum cleaner accessories such as soft dusting brushes and spare hose.
In 2000 Dyson and his research team invented the first washing machine in the world with two drums called Contrarotator. It replicates the flexing that happens when clothes are hand washed, which helps release dirt more quickly, giving faster, better wash results and larger loads.
Its latest innovation is The Airblade™, a new type of hand dryer. Unlike hot air hand dryers, this blows unheated air through a slit the width of an eyelash at over 400mph (640kmph) to hygienically wipe hands dry with air in just seconds.
Through the James Dyson foundation, awards are given every year to promising young designers In 2009 the Dyson School of Design Innovation opens to give young people the skills they need to become the UK's future innovators. It is the first of its kind in the UK.
Design and performance are intrinsic to the Dyson ethos. As James Dyson himself puts it "Good design is about how something works, not just how it looks".