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The Scarab would first be deployed in shopping malls where it could easily cruise, clean and polish the smooth floors, but we see a day when robots scour the sidewalks for trash and keep our streets sparkling clean.

Looking like a giant vacuum cleaner, the Scarab uses a pair of webcams to seek out mess and then brushes the trash into an internal tank, which it can empty by itself. It also has a grabber-arm to pick up larger items — discarded Slurpee cups, for example, and runs on electricity instead of an engine like many manually operated street-sweepers.

The big problem, though, is that while a Roomba is safe inside your house, Kalugina’s concept design would be out amongst ranks of terrifying teenagers, bent on teasing the poor machine or even just kicking its face in. Stick this out into the real mean city streets and you’d lose the entire fleet in days, stolen and repurposed or just sold. No, a real street-smart robot would need some kind of defense. A taser, perhaps, or at the very least an electrified shell.

And there you have it. The perfect street cleaning robot would in fact be R2D2. We welcome the future

According to the Guinness Book Of World Records, this upright is the world’s most expensive vacuum cleaner.
An Electrolux spokesperson did indicate that this was a one off design but that they “could arrange to have another one made to order if anyone desired”. It just goes to show that the ultra rich can have a pimped out vacuum cleaner to clean carpets with, but then again, if you’re that rich, wouldn’t you have maid service

The new MC-UL915 Jetspin Cyclone is a high-powered bagless vacuum with six cyclonic chambers that separate dirt from the air flow for a cleaner filter and higher performance. The MC-UL915 Jetspin Cyclone’s large capacity dust cup is easily removed and can be disassembled completely and thoroughly cleaned, eliminating any residual odor.

“The new Panasonic Jetspin Cyclone vacuum was designed upright – as we have found many consumers prefer that style, but we also wanted to offer the multipurpose convenience of a canister with four conveniently stored on-board tools,” said Gino Iacovella, Group Manager, Home Appliances Group, Panasonic Home & Health Company. “With its versatile, attractive design, this high-performing vacuum makes the chore of whole-home cleaning easier – from carpets to hardwood floors, getting everything from the tight corners behind furniture to the hard-to-reach ceilings and curtains.”

The MC-UL915 Jetspin Cyclone features Panasonic’s QuickDraw2 system with a telescopic wand and hose that has a combined 12-foot range, so cleaning those hard-to-reach spots in corners or high ceilings and curtains is easy. Additionally, the EZ Bare Floor feature shuts off the vacuum’s agitator for a smooth transition from carpet to bare floor without scratching hardwood floors. Plus, with the included bonus floor brush, cleaning hardwood surfaces is an easy transition.

The new bagless vacuum also features Panasonic’s Dirt Sensor to let users know exactly which areas are clean and which need more attention. The Dirt Sensor uses an infrared beam to monitor dirt particles being sucked into the vacuum from the carpet or floor; the display light turns from red to green as the floor is cleaned. The MC-UL915 Jetspin Cyclone also features a HEPA Exhaust Filter, which captures particles such as allergens, irritants and pollutants to help consumers maintain a healthy home environment. In addition to the telescopic wand, Pet Air Turbine brush and floor brush, the on-board cleaning tools include:

• Combo brush: a two-in-one tool with removable bristles to use for dusting (with bristles) or upholstery cleaning (without bristles)
• Crevice tool for hard-to-reach corners

1200 Watts of power increases airflow to 131 cubic feet per minute allowing superior cleaning ability and making the removal of dirt and debris easy.

Manual electronic suction adjustment allows for optimal cleaning on any flooring surface.

Equipped with a double-layer dustbag, a pre-motor filter and an advanced electro-static filter called the Super Air Clean Filter.

Optional certified H.E.P.A Active Filter is available to remove 99.97% of all particles as small as 0.3 microns in size, eliminate odors and filter exhaust air.

Includes a combination rug and floor tool designed for a variety of carpeting and smooth flooring. This tool adjusts depending on the floor you clean. A soft bristle design gently sweeps smooth flooring and thread lifters help remove surface lift from carpeting.

An upholstery tool, dusting brush and crevice nozzle store in a caddy on the machine, allowing for quick access when cleaning furniture and tight corners.

Optional Powerbrush available for wall-to-wall carpet.

All three wheels and the hose swivel 360 degrees for incredible maneuverability and ease of use.

Unique Miele Vacuum Park System makes starting and stopping easy. A special clip allows you to stand the two-piece extension wand at the back of the machine thus eliminating bending for retrieval.

Warranty: 7-year suction motor; 1-year all non-wearing components

• The first vac-wash-dry cleaning system specially designed to clean most hard-floor surfaces. Switching between cleaning options is a snap with the EZ Select dial
• Exclusive SpinScrub Brushes
• The first vac-wash-dry cleaning system specially designed to clean most hard-floor surfaces
• Fingertip Trigger Control – lets you control where, when and how much cleaning solution you apply
• Folding handle – for easy assembly and compact storage
• Dual tank design separates the cleaning solution and pick-up so you never put dirty water back on your floor
• Includes specially formulated Hoover Grout and Hoover Floor-to-Floor cleaning solutions
• Interchangeable SpinScrub and Grout Brushes let you choose the right brush for the job
• 15″ Widepath removable nozzle helps you finish the job quickly and clean up easily

“We are truly pleased to be the recipient of the EID award! To be recognized by the judges in the small appliance category is a great honor,” says Paul McCormack, Senior Marketing Manager of Miele, Inc. “Not only is the EID award an accolade representing impressive aesthetic design, but also function and innovation. This is a true testament of the talent and dedication of Miele’s design and engineering team that work tirelessly to forever improve upon our high caliber appliances.” This year, Miele’s S7 receives this recognition from over 70 entries in the product design category.

“The purpose of appliance DESIGN’s annual design competition is to honor those designers who have excelled in meeting the modern challenge of harmoniously melding technology and industrial design,” said Richard Babyak, appliance DESIGN editor.

The judges noted that the companies behind the honored entries demonstrated that they are serious about industrial design and showed that seriousness by attention to details and innovative approaches that sharply differentiated winning products from their competitors. Another common element found among the recognized products was the ability to make technology more accessible to the user.

S7 Upright Vacuum Cleaner

S7 breaks the boundaries between upright and canister – combining the very best of both worlds into one ultra-maneuverable design. Its patented new SwivelNeck™ technology allows the user to effortlessly move the vacuum in any direction – even laying flat to the floor – with an extremely low profile that glides under beds, tables and more. S7 embodies Miele’s legendary performance and filtration systems that have become a unique signature of quality and durability. The Miele-made Vortex Motor System™ provides strong suction power and is designed to a rigorous 20-life specification… that’s 1,000 vacuuming hours. With its Sealed System™, certified HEPA filter and unique HyClean™ filtering dustbag, indoor air quality is protected from the micro-particles other vacuums stir up during the process. Convenient features include an integrated telescopic wand and specialized cleaning tools – such as one would find on a Miele canister vacuum – that allow the user to easily shift from floors to crevices, stairs, furnishings and drapes. An energy-saving automatic setting, on select models, intelligently selects the correct suction level for optimal cleaning results and power usage.

About the EID Award

Having now reached its 22nd year, the annual EID Award seeks out excellence in terms of creativity and originality. With over 70 entries this year, the EID entrants are judged against the criteria rather than against each other and assigned a point score by a panel of independent judges. Awards are then based on overall points and winners are given the recognition at one of three levels – Gold, Silver or Bronze.

Photos and descriptions of winners will appear in the June 2009 issue of appliance DESIGN magazine, in the print, digital and online versions at www.applianceDESIGN.com. appliance DESIGN is a publication of BNP Media, Troy, Mich.

The Bissell 76T8 Versus Bare Floor is a wonderful vacuum cleaner well suited for cleaning  bare floors and tiles.

This vacuum boasts a powerful motor of 12 amps yielding powerful suction and a 13″ cleaning path which is ideal.

This vacuum features an innovative base which is Vshaped. This unique design helps in directing the dust particles and debris to the center suctioning path while the arms themselves suction the small dust particles.

This model also features a swivel head that pivots left or right for easy maneuverability of the vacuum. The edge-to-edge cleaning technology provides 100% dust free cleaning by cleaning even corners and tight spaces. This vacuum also comes with a durable stretch hose that solves the problem of unreachable areas. This hose can be stretched to even reach the very difficult ‘unreachable’ spot thereby providing complete cleaning.

The Bissell 76T8 Versus Bare Floor is a very popular and satisfaction-guaranteed vacuum that is powerful, maneuverable and efficient. Many users have many positive reviews on this product.

The 12 amps motor coupled with edge-to-edge cleaning does an excellent job of cleaning any smooth surface. The 20 foot power cord gives fairly good mobility, the swivel head offers maximum maneuverability and the stretchable wire-framed hose offers perfect cleaning.

This is definitely a powerful and versatile vacuum cleaner which offers excellent performance at a lower price. The Bissell 76T8 Versus Bare Floor Vacuum is an ideal companion for all cleanliness concerned home users.

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