Vacuum

Contrary to the expectations of the creators of The Jetsons, the robotic vacuums of today generally resemble a floor-crawling disc rather than humanoid Rosie the Robot. The latest device to join the ranks of circular-shaped household helpers alongside the Electrolux Trilobyte, iRobot Roomba and LG Roboking is the Neato XV-11 from Neato Robotics. Boasting Neato's RPS (that’s Room Positioning System) technology the XV-11 uses path-planning algorithms to outline the area to clean, which it then carries out in a systematic back-and-forth pattern.  Read More

ASUS subsidiary AGAiT Technology is the latest to have a bash at realizing the dream of robots performing domestic tasks with the EC01 E-Cleaner robotic vacuum cleaner. As well as offering similar cleaning functionality to that of its rivals, the EC01 also benefits from a sanitizing UV lamp which disinfects as the unit vacuums.  Read More

In a world where miniaturization rules the roost, it's refreshing to see some things getting bigger and bigger. Just last week we featured Regen's enormous ReVerb iPod dock which stands tall and slim at 35 inches (90cm). Now from Sweden comes the colossal 37.5 x 49 x 12 inch (95cm x 125cm x 30cm) "Wall of Sound", which can boom out 125 Watts of ground-shaking, tube-driven audio from its 28 speakers.  Read More

The second in our series of interviews with Michael Bennet-Levy looks at the Steuart’s Patent vacuum tank regulator – a clock produced in 1923 that its makers, J & D Meek, claimed was accurate to “better than a second a year.” If true this would have made it the most accurate timekeeper in the world prior to the invention of Caesium clocks in the mid 1950s. The essence of the Steuart regulator is that the electric motor drives the clock and the pendulum governs and corrects the speed of the motor. Neither is connected. Ideal for telescopes (because it doesn't tick), the clock was used as a stand-in for Big Ben during WWII and in the opinion of the Scientific American it marked “the most important development in clock-making which has taken place in modern times.”  Read More

Looking more like a power tool that just transported from the Starship Enterprise, the latest hand-held vacuum from Dyson has a 10-minute battery life and a digital V2 motor that delivers constant, strong suction - ideal for small cleaning tasks around the home or in a car, boat or caravan. The DC31 has a dual power mode that gives the operator a six-minute burst of power for higher suction at the flick of a switch. Dyson demonstrated its two models, the DC31 and the DC31 Animal to our team at IFA this month, and gave Gizmag's Kate Seamer an exclusive interview.  Read More

Ever since Electrolux introduced the couch-potato to the Tribolite, vacuum cleaner manufacturers have been coming up with progressively smarter, more efficient ways to automate this common chore. iRobot has been busy refining the Roomba and Dyson came up with something that looks more at home on the battlefield in the DC06, but this time it’s LG’s chance to get involved and the new Roboking promises intelligent cleaning using a range of advanced sensors.  Read More

No, it's not really a pregnant vacuum cleaner, it's the latest AEG Ergorapido 2 in 1 – a battery-operated vacuum with a hand-held mini-vacuum in the handle that home appliance manufacturer AEG is showing at this year’s IFA in Berlin. The pick-of-the-litter is the EUR 210 (USD$300) Ergorapido plus which has an 18-volt lithium ion rechargeable battery and outperforms its sister models by 20%, enabling around 30 minutes of cleaning.  Read More

The doors to the world's biggest consumer electronics show - IFA 2009 - opened to the press this morning and one of the first companies to showcase its latest wares was home appliance specialist Miele. Among the highlights was this very sensible hybrid compact vacuum cleaner that, like your laptop, provides the flexibility of both mains power supply and a rechargeable battery. This system provides a cord-free solution for quick clean ups and also means that when you inevitably reach the end of your tether and pull the plug out, the vacuum automatically switches to battery mode so you can finish the job uninterrupted.  Read More

While the thought of rocketing into space might make some people want to soil themselves, going to the toilet in zero gravity is a very real problem for space faring astronauts. Until now the solution has been to strap themselves onto a toilet that is similar to traditional western style but employs a vacuum cleaner-like machine to suck the wastes away – doesn’t sound too pleasant does it. Now it seems the Japanese are approaching the problem from a different tack with Pink Tentacle reporting that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has teamed up with engineers from the private sector to develop a next-generation space toilet that is designed to be worn like a diaper.  Read More