Dyson’s most overengineered gadget may have a waterproofing problem

Dyson's CameraJet, a $499 toothbrush that combines brushing, a built-in macro camera and a targeted rinsing system, has been removed from sale in several countries after early users reported water in the battery compartment and rapid device failures. The company debuted the product at a Paris event this month and shipped U.S. units starting September 8. Reports of problems emerged almost immediately: some users said devices failed within 30 seconds of use, and Consumer Reports' review unit stopped working in less than 24 hours.

The CameraJet is one of Dyson's more complex consumer offerings. The design effort spanned six years and yielded 38 patents, according to company material. Its Gap Optical Targeting system uses a macro lens and a machine-learning model trained on some 470,000 dental images to locate interdental gaps and direct 12.5 milliliters of mouth rinse to those spots within about 100 milliseconds.

Following early complaints, several retail operations in France reportedly pulled the product by September 11, and stores in the U.S., U.K. and Singapore had also stopped selling it by September 15, according to reporting. Consumer-facing outlets noted instances of water ingress into the battery compartment as a common symptom preceding device failure.

Dyson has publicly acknowledged there is a component issue with the CameraJet but has not disclosed which component is at fault, nor has the company provided a detailed timeline for repairs, replacements or a return-to-sale plan in the reporting. The episode highlights the risks manufacturers face when integrating cameras, fluid systems and batteries into compact consumer devices.