Inventor and entrepreneur James Dyson used a defect in the Airblade drier as the springboard for an innovative table fan. what looks like a modern sculpture is actually a fan—with no blades. Dyson says the device came out of a defect in the Airblade, the energy-efficient hand drier for public restrooms that his company, Dyson, launched in 2006. Despite its jet-like exhaust, engineers noticed that the machine was trapping a lot of air inside. “We had no intention to make a fan,” he says. “But the failure made us curious. We asked, What could we do with this high-speed air?”

The new fan, branded the Dyson Air Multiplier, launched on Oct. 12 on Dyson.com. The 10-inch version sells for $299.99, while the 12-inch model sells for $329.99.

Producer: Dyson