Legendary Dyson vacuum founder predicts light switches will soon be completely replaced

WE USE them every day — but according to the legendary Sir James Dyson, these features will soon disappear from our homes.

AS THE inventor of the legendary Dyson vacuum cleaner, Sir James Dyson is revered by legions of fans as a genius.

So when he shared his predictions on what the homes of the future will look like recently, people sat up and took notice.

Speaking with Recode last month, the appliance whiz revealed one very common household item which he is certain will soon disappear forever.

In Sir James’ opinion, the humble light switch is about to be replaced by so-called “smart lights” which can be controlled based on an inhabitant’s mood, location and the time of the day.

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According to Apartment Therapy, this means we’ll soon be able to turn household lights on and off even when we’re not physically at home, either via voice-controlled technology or through an app, which will allow us to change our living environment at the tap of our fingertips from anywhere in the world.

Sir James told the publication lights were just one example of how homes were going to become far more automated in the near future.

“Lights are going to get very interesting because of your circadian rhythm and that kind of thing,” he said.

“That whole thing is going to change. The idea that you come in and switch on the light is in the past.

“You don’t need that, so you can save the light switch. That’s an obvious, crude example.”

Smart lights including Philips Hue, LIFX LED Smart Lightbulb and Belkin WeMo are already available in Australia, with most allowing users to operate a number of lights remotely, set up a daily light schedule and even create different “moods” through lighting effects.

But in Sir James’ view, these styles will soon become the norm rather than the exception in our living spaces.

Sir James Dyson, founder of The Dyson company, says smart technology will soon take over our houses. Picture: Richard Dobson

He was also asked about how our relationship with our homes was going to change, and Sir James explained that the homes of the not-too-distant-future would likely be far more focused on providing healthy, safe environments for families.

“I think people are becoming acutely aware that humidity, dryness — it’s important to control that. It’s obviously important to control all the things that make smell and pollution in the home. Floorboards create formaldehyde,” he said.

“Dealing with hidden things and making the home a really safe place that reacts to you and monitors your health and keeps you in the best possible health.

“Home isn’t just going to be a place that keeps you dry and warm. It’s going to be a lot more.”

Sir James also revealed why he preferred to have young, inexperienced people working for his company instead of older, more experienced staff.

“I find working with people who haven’t got experience much more exciting than working with people who have got experience,” he said.

“Experienced people always say why it can’t be done or how it should be done.

“And I want people to be pioneering and do all sorts of wrong things and make mistakes and understand from their mistakes what could be possible.”

Dyson Ltd was established by Sir James in the UK in 1991.

Today, it designs and manufactures a number of household appliances including vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, bladeless fans, heaters and hair dryers.

Over the years, Dyson has developed a cult-like following, and when a Dyson cleaner was added to Aldi’s Special Buys last year, there were chaotic scenes outside stores across Australia, with fans lining up before opening time in a bid to get their hands on the coveted item.

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