Dyson has signalled it is placing a "big bet" on producing robots capable of household chores by 2030, as it looks to move beyond the vacuum cleaners, fans and dryers that made its founder one of the wealthiest British businessmen. The company, founded by billionaire Sir James Dyson, on Wednesday published photographs of robot arms being used in household settings, including cleaning furniture, a claw picking up plates, and a hand-like machine picking up a teddy bear. While those may not sound like major achievements, robots still struggle with many actions that represent simple tasks for humans, such as grasping fragile objects or dealing with unfamiliar obstacles. Solving those and other problems could create new markets for the company. Dyson wants to build the UK's largest robotics research centre at its Hullavington Airfield site, close to its design centre in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

Household appliance-maker Dyson today (Thursday) announced it is accelerating plans to develop electric cars in Britain – with a £200 million investment in track-testing facilities at its new UK research centre. The firm, which is branching out from its vacuum cleaners and hair driers to take on car giants with a new generation of high-tech electric vehicles, said the move would create'more high-skilled jobs for Britain'. It is being viewed as another vote of confidence in the United Kingdom in the run up to Brexit next Spring. Cleaning up in the electric car market: This artist's impression shows how Dyson's new campus at Hullavington Airfield in Wiltshire could look as it ramps up efforts to produce a range of new electric cars Dyson is currently recruiting an additional 300 automotive engineers on top of the 400 already in place and has said the electric car project could see the firm's present UK workforce nearly double to around 8,000. The battery-powered electric cars are being designed and developed in the UK, however lower labour costs mean final assembly is likely to be in South East Asia where much of the firm's wider electronic and hi-tech production already takes place.

Inventor Sir James Dyson is set to reveal plans to build electric cars in Britain today, it is understood. His hi-tech firm, famed for its vortex vacuum cleaner, hand-dryers and bladeless fans, has been recruiting talent from the car and technology industry. Today it is thought Dyson will unveil the early stages of an electric vehicle which could be built at its headquarters in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. Expectations about what Dyson was developing mounted after mainstream car makers accelerated their plans for electric vehicles. Mini revealed its own all-electric vehicle ahead of this month's Frankfurt Motor Show.

In the brave new world of smart homes, Dyson thinks it's got a way to get a leg up over the competition: artificial intelligence. The British tech giant has just invested some $412 million in a new research facility in Singapore, and sees it as a big piece in a future where "everything is automatic." The large Singapore facility was unveiled on Monday. "Almost every product can benefit from AI, lighting, purification, cleaning -- everything that you see in a room needs artificial intelligence," declared Sir James Dyson, its founder said at its launch event. Dyson's already started dipping its toes in the connected home scene.

It has taken 16 years but James Dyson has achieved one of his dreams: to build a robotic vacuum cleaner. As befits a device of the modern age, it can be controlled remotely via a smartphone app – and reports on where it has been. Announced on Thursday, the Dyson 360 Eye relies on two breakthroughs: a machine vision system that takes in a whole room from a single camera lens and a powerful lightweight digital motor that enhances battery life. Sir James Dyson says that the machine vision system for the device – which was introduced in Japan and is due to go on sale in the UK in summer 2015 – will have applications beyond household appliances. "We think vision is a technology of the future," Dyson told the Guardian.