Discovering Engineering at MSI Manchester with Dyson and Currys PC World

The school holidays are in full swing and it's been tricky to carve out some one-to-one time with each of the children so Bud and I were delighted to be invited along to the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Manchester at the weekend, to explore engineering with our friends from Dyson and Currys PC World.

Ask Bud what he wants to be when he's big and his immediate answer is 'a scientist'. I'm quite proud of this and we're always seeking out ways to promote that interest and help to broaden his scientific horizons beyond paleontology and Lego models. We were invited to visit MSI and take the #DysonChallenge - an opportunity to learn about two of their newest products and to explore some of their benefits using kids crafts.

Our day started with refreshments (including some yummy cookies, Bud was a fan) and the opportunity to mingle with the Dyson team and a few local bloggers and their children. It was lovely to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. There was a range of Dyson products out for demonstration purposes and Bud really got stuck into trying them out. He particularly loved the handheld cleaners and I was pretty impressed at how easily a 6 year old could operate one!

When the more formal part of the day started two of the Dyson engineers introduced the new products we were there to see. First up was the Dyson Cinetic Animal Big Ball Cleaner. This cleaner brings together the Cinetic technology which uses cyclone technology to ensure that suction never drops, and that it picks up even the tiniest of particles.

Dyson have been listening to their customers who have asked for a more effective way of emptying their cleaners and have come up with a really nifty way of doing so in this cleaner. Instead of opening the canister and tipping it in to your bin, You slide the seal down the container and it pushes even the smallest pieces out. No cleaning the container out after emptying your vacuum!

The most fun element of this new cleaner is the 'big ball', we've all trailed around a cylinder vacuum cleaner, dragging it around after us and had it tip over on us. With the new Dyson Cinetic Big Ball, when this happens it will simply right itself and pop back to upright on it's own. This was ably demonstrated by one of the children at the event and, despite rolling the cleaner all the way over, it did roll straight back up on it's own. The kids were fascinated by this and I know lots of them had a go at tipping it over.

The second item we had demonstrated to us was the Dyson Pure Cool Link Tower Air Purifier. This promises to remove 99.5% of allergens and pollutants from the air in your home, effectively cleaning and filtering the air and potentially removing toxic fumes! In addition to this it can work as a fan to keep your home cool on hot days.

The Air Purifier has it's very own Dyson Link app (for Android and iPhone) which allows you to monitor the air in your home remotely and change settings on the go if needed. It also has a remote control, LED and night mode to make using it a simple process.

After the demonstrations we had the chance to get creative. Our first task was to make a self-righting egg similar to the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Cleaner's technology. We decorated our egg with a funky face, and called him 'Glasses Man; Bud ensured he had glasses just like his. From there we used ball bearings and blu-tac to make sure our egg would stand back up if he was knocked over. Bud loved making his egg and it led to a discussion about just why the egg stands back up again.

The second craft was to make our own windmills to demonstrate the Dyson Pure Cool Link Tower Air Purifier's air flow power. We decorated our paper template then used a pencil to pin it together and make a windmill which spun in the air from the Air Purifier. It was a fun creative task and Bud really enjoyed working out why the air made the windmill spin.

After a tasty lunch it was time to say goodbye and I took home a very happy little boy who really wants to be a Dyson engineer when he grows up, he's also developed something of a taste for vacuuming which I'll definitely be looking to promote using our Dyson cleaner at home. It was a lovely way to explore the products and to explain their engineering to the children. Bud says it was the best day ever!

We attended the event as the guests of Dyson and Currys PC World and received a gift and goodie bag for our time.