Jet Towel: the next generation

The Jet Towel Slim V9 offers improved performance in many areas, including a 2dB reduction in the already quiet noise level to 56dB, as well as stronger front and back panels for greater impact resistance.

The original Jet Towel was launched in Japan in 1993. It was designed to dry ten times faster than existing solutions, used very little energy and was ultra-quiet in operation. Since then the design has gone through several generations of design and innovation. 

The operating principle of the Jet Towel is based on the generation of two thin sheets of high speed air that simultaneously wipe water from both front and back surfaces of hands placed into the drying chamber. The drying time is from only 9 seconds, a third that of conventional hot air blower dryers.

The fast operation and relatively small amount of air flow means energy consumption is said to be far lower than other dryers and the laminar flow means extraneous noise is not generated. 

Moisture from the hands is collected in a drain tank, which means bacteria are not set free into the surrounding atmosphere by being blown around the room in a hot air stream. Additionally Jet Towel is manufactured using a silver ion antimicrobial material, preventing bacteria growth. Jet Towel Slim is available in white, black and silver.

Mitsubishi Electric has also launched a new compact hands-under version of its Jet Towel high speed hand dryer, the Jet Towel Smart, which can be installed in facilities with space constraints.

Based on the same principle of high velocity laminar air flow as the original Jet Towel, the new model does not have a drying chamber but uses the popular hands-under configuration. Unlike a conventional dryer, which uses heat to evaporate moisture from hands, the Jet Towel Smart generates a curtain of air travelling at around 100 metres per second to wipe it off. 

Hands are dried from as little as 10 seconds. The short drying time, coupled with the energy efficient 490W drive motor, means that power consumption is lower than is normally expected. Thus, a significant reduction in electricity bills can be expected. 

The new Smart opens up new areas of usage, including those where lower costs, high speed throughput and robustness are desirable.

The design is tamper proof and fitted with presence sensors which switch on the air flow within 0.1 seconds of hands being placed underneath.