'Airblade' Hand Dryer Could Improve Hygiene

by T. Simonite NewScientist.com, 3 Oct 2006 A hand dryer that uses "blades" of air and bacteria-killing filters is more effective and hygienic than conventional drying machines, its inventors claim. Conventional hand dryers use a heater and a motorised fan to evaporate water from a person's hands. The Dyson dryer uses a motor to force unheated air through two thin slots at 400 miles per hour. These jets form so-called "air blades" that force water off a user's hands, as they slowly withdraw them past the blades. Read more