The technology landscape could look very different if Dyson hadn’t decided to shelve a smartglasses project that had a working prototype more than 10 years before Google’s Glass arrived.



The Dyson Halo, known only by its project number N066 until today, was originally developed in 2001 – a set of augmented reality goggles featuring a full-colour 3D heads-up display the kind that’s currently being developed by Google, Epsom and Vuzix.

An original sketch of the Dyson Halo. Photograph: Dyson Photograph: Dyson

The glasses were head-mounted on a frame that sat around the back of the head and were powered by a pocket computer that resembled a Sony Walkman.

Halo worked as a communications device, but also as a pocket PC, using audio and visual prompts to overlay information on the real world.

The headset could be folded up for travel. Photograph: Dyson Photograph: Dyson

The headset used two mirrors to reflect the display of two tiny monitors mounted by the wearers’ temples into the eyes to create the illusion of a translucent 10in screen, projected about 1m in front of the eyes.

Google’s Glass, first announced in 2011 and eventually released in 2013, uses a prism mounted above the eye to display at-a-glance information while the computing potion – a smartphone without the cellular radios – is mounted on one of the ear stems.

James Dyson himself wearing one of the prototypes. Photograph: Dyson Photograph: Dyson

Siri before Siri

Dyson also built a virtual digital assistant to help the headset wearer, that could read out emails and interpret basic voice commands like an early version of Apple’s Siri or Google Now.

A wrist-mounted control pad could be used for mousing duties. Photograph: Dyson Photograph: Dyson

Users typed on a projected virtual keyboard which could track finger motions, while a wrist-worn device acted as a mouse pointer.

The headset could also be used as a simple display for a separate computer.

Dyson Halo being worn by an engineer. Photograph: Dyson Photograph: Dyson

The project ran for three years, but was eventually shelved as part of Dyson’s focus on the US. Some of the components live on in other projects, specifically around robot vision which is crucial to projects at the Dyson Robotics Laboratory at Imperial College London.

An early prototype of the Halo smartglasses. Photograph: Dyson Photograph: Dyson

Dyson released details of the Halo headset and two other shelved projects – a filtration system for diesel engines based on the company’s cyclone technology, as well as a hydrogen fuel cell that used the company’s electric motor to boost efficiency and power – as part of the company’s 21st birthday.

The shelved designs display some of the things beyond vacuum cleaners, fans and hand driers that the company has worked on, but decided not to bring to market.

In addition to the £5m joint investment with Imperial College London for Dyson Robotics Lab, the company has recently ploughed £250m into an expansion of its research and development site next to its headquarters in Malmesbury in Wiltshire.

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