Dyson's New Find+Follow Smart Fan Is Like a Personal Cooling Butler for Summer Heat

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The wild new Find+Follow fan uses AI tracking to deliver fresh, cool air wherever you are.

Ajay Kumar Editor

Ajay has worked in tech journalism for over a decade as a reporter, analyst, product reviewer, and editor. He got his start in consumer tech, breaking Android news at Newsweek before going to PCMag, where he reviewed hundreds of smartphones, battery packs, and chargers as a Mobile Analyst. He also worked at Lifewire, a Dotdash Meredith brand, as a Tech Commerce Editor, putting together tested best-of lists and assigning product reviews across categories including smart home, uninterruptible power supplies, generators, and automotive tech.

Most recently, he was Section Editor, Mobile at Digital Trends, spearheading his team's coverage of breaking news, features, reviews, roundups, deals, and more across a variety of mobile products, including phones, wearables, VR headsets, batteries, and chargers. If you want Ajay's advice about anything tech, especially solar panels, UPS, batteries, EVs, and charging technology, you can reach him at [email protected].

Expertise 13+ years of experience in consumer product reviews, buying guides, best lists, and tech news across a variety of tech categories. As a homeowner, Ajay is also familiar with the unique electrical issues that can crop up in a prewar apartment building.

2 min read

Fans are among the best ways to stay cool when the heat hits. They're mostly quiet and energy-efficient compared to air conditioners, and you can get a good one for about $60. It's hard to imagine how to improve on something this basic, but Dyson's new Find+Follow Purifier Cool is a bladeless fan and air purifier that uses AI to push purified air with you as you move around the room.

"We designed the Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool to respond to real human behavior," said Omer Ali, senior Dyson engineer, in a press statement.

"You shouldn't need to manually adjust your fan for comfort. With Find+Follow air projection, the machine automatically oscillates and directs airflow to the person -- even as they move to different areas of the room, so you can enjoy consistent comfort without constantly repositioning the product."

Think of it as an oscillating fan, just smarter. The AI vision system tracks movement through what Dyson calls a "17-key point user detection technology."

"Rather than positioning it strictly as a replacement for a standalone air purifier or tower fan, we see it as a flexible solution that can meet both needs in a single device for many users," said Stuart Thompson, senior design manager, environmental care, over email. "For some customers, this means they can streamline their space by relying on one multifunctional machine instead of two."

However, the company says that while it recognizes how you move, it won't recognize who you are or store your identity. All AI processing occurs on the machine, with images analyzed in real time. Dyson says the images are instantly deleted and never stored or uploaded.

The big question I had when I saw the fan in Dyson's showroom was how it handles multiple people in the same room. The answer is fairly straightforward. According to Thompson, it automatically adjusts smart oscillation to evenly share purifier air among different people. The fan also turns off automatically when you leave the room, and it no longer detects movement, saving you energy in the long run.

In terms of specs, the Dyson Find+Follow has everything you'd expect from a top-tier smart fan and air purifier. It has a K-carbon and HEPA filter, which the company says can capture 50% more nitric dioxide, odors, volatile organic compounds and 99.97% of ultrafine particles up to 0.3 microns. It meets HEPA H13 standards and features a built-in monitor that automatically checks for PM2.5, PM10, VOCs, NO2 and formaldehyde.

It's controllable via the MyDyson app and should work in rooms up to 290 square feet. The included HEPA filter has a 1-year life, and the oscillation is up to 350 degrees. The entire unit weighs 12 pounds.

It's not cheap. The Dyson Find+Follow Purifier Cool costs $850 at full price, making it more expensive than either a smart fan or an air purifier. That said, it's actually not as costly as some of Dyson's own high-end combination devices, like the $1,200 Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde BP04 or the $1,100 Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool PH2 De-NOx.

AJAY KUMAR

Editor

Ajay has worked in tech journalism for over a decade as a reporter, analyst, product reviewer, and editor. He got his start in consumer tech, breaking Android news at Newsweek before going to PCMag, where he reviewed hundreds of smartphones, battery packs, and chargers as a Mobile Analyst. He also worked at Lifewire, a Dotdash Meredith brand, as a Tech Commerce Editor, putting together tested best-of lists and assigning product reviews across categories including smart home, uninterruptible power supplies, generators, and automotive tech.

Most recently, he was Section Editor, Mobile at Digital Trends, spearheading his team's coverage of breaking news, features, reviews, roundups, deals, and more across a variety of mobile products, including phones, wearables, VR headsets, batteries, and chargers. If you want Ajay's advice about anything tech, especially solar panels, UPS, batteries, EVs, and charging technology, you can reach him at [email protected]. See full bio