Vacuum Cleaner Configurations
Two general configurations for vacuum cleaners have emerged. Upright vacuum cleaners have the pump mounted directly above the suction outlet, with the bag mounted on the handle, which rises to approximately waist height. Upright designs usually employ motor-driven mechanical beaters to help disturb dust to be vacuumed up. Canister designs have the motor and bag in a separate unit (usually mounted on wheels) connected to the vacuum head by a flexible hose. Upright units, mainly due to the effects of the beaters, have been shown in tests to be more effective, but the lighter, more maneuverable heads of canister models are popular. Some upscale canister models have "power heads", which act as mechanical beaters, but they are quite uncommon.
Most vacuum cleaners are also supplied with attachments, which allow them to be used to vacuum places unreachable with the normal head.
Other configurations exist. Some commercial vacuum cleaners are designed to be carried on the back.
Centralized home vacuum systems connect a canister, installed in a central location in the house, to each room via pipes, which only require a lightweight suction hose and head to be carried from room to room. Small hand-held vacuum cleaners, either battery-operated or electric, are also popular for cleaning up spills. In 2004 a British company released Airider, a hovering vacuum cleaner that floats around the floor on a cushion of air.
Vacuum cleaners working on the cyclone principle became popular in the 1990s. This was adapted from an industrial-sized vacuum cleaner by James Dyson in 1985. He lauched his cyclone cleaner first in Japan in the 1980's at a cost of approximately $1,800 and later the Dyson DC-01 upright in the UK in 1995 for $350. First, it was thought that people would not buy a vacuum cleaner at twice the price of a normal cleaner, but it later became the most popular cleaner in UK. The air is forced around at high speed in a tighter and tighter circle inside a vessel. The dust particles move to the outside of the vessel in centrifugal motion, and clean air from the middle of the vortex is expelled from the machine. Since Dyson, several companies have adopted cyclone models, including Hoover.
In early 2000 several companies developed robotic vacuum cleaners. Some examples are Roomba, Trilobite and FloorBot. These machines move by themselves in patterns across a floor, cleaning surface dust and debris into their dustbin. They are usually capable of navigating around furniture and finding their recharging station. Most robotic vacuum cleaners are designed for home use, although there are more capable models for operation in offices, hotels, hospitals, etc. By the end of 2003, about 570,000 units were sold worldwide.
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