Technological Advances in Modern Vacuum Cleaners – A Brief Overview
The venerable Vacuum cleaner, its hard to imagine that this nifty household accessory extends one of the biggest helps in maintaining our homes.
Cleaning the entire house is almost always a pain and nobody knows it better than the people that have to do it. However, as humans would have it – “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”, has inevitably led to this gadget occupying a small space at the closet in every household.
Not that it needs to occupy any space or be managed at all. With their footprint getting smaller, more manageable and automatic robot vacuum cleaners taking off the task of cleaning from your hand.
Its safe to say that this product has seen some wicked technological development and in doing so, have made our lives that much easier.
We’ll attempt to have a look at what innovations modern vacuum cleaners have bought in in recent times and their impacts in the industry.
A Timeline Assessment
Let’s rewind a bit and start at roughly the beginning. Although the very first concept of the vacuum cleaner emerged in the early 1900’s, with credits going to Ives W.McGaffey.
However, the electric vacuum cleaner that we know today was actually conceived in 1905 by Walther Griffths. Since then numerous studies on the technology have been taken place and various improvements were made on the original design by McGaffey.
Improvements such as using plastics and composites rather than metal, more efficient motors and smaller footprints are all good examples of how things have improved over the years.
Which has led us to here where commercial vacuum cleaners no longer resemble their early brethren. Today we no longer need heavy vacuum cleaners the size of a sofa to clean stuff up, but rather we can do it with our handheld Dyson, which uses cannisters instead of bags to grab the dust and debris.
It is truly remarkable that something that was conceived in the late 1800’s could’ve come this far.
The Modern Vacuum Cleaner
Even if we see the Vacuum cleaner as just an accessory, there’s no denying of the technology overdose that this venerable gadget has been injected with in recent times.
So let’s explore some of these advances made in this gadget in recent times:
IoT Integration
Possibly one of the most recent advancement in Vacuum cleaning technology. IoT integration is designed with robotic vacuum cleaners in mind. It enables the already versatile automated vacuum cleaner to get next level AI related brain for full autonomous functionality – such as self-docking, scheduling, charging and cleaning.
It is a truly remarkable mix of 21st century ingenuity with 19th century concepts.
Dirt Cannisters instead of bags
Early vacuum cleaners were not without its faults. And among the many nuisances that we have managed to improve upon is the elimination of bags that went inside to collect dust and debris. Not only was it wasteful to begin with, it was also a hassle as you had to change bags with every use of the vacuum. Thankfully we can all give Dyson the credit for changing this inconvenience via the introduction of cannisters to collect dust, which can be cleaned out and re-used indefinitely.
More Portable without needing cords
It used to be that portable vacuum cleaners were underpowered and primarily aimed at cars or small spaces due to their power restraints. Most of them were also corded which was an inconvenience in itself as there was no way to retract the cord inside the vacuum, courtesy of its small proportions. Now though, it isn’t the case and companies like Dyson, Xiaomi, LG are actively developing vacuums that are more powerful than ever, doesn’t need cords to function and are immensely portable.
Cleaner Operations
One of the issues that have plagued most vacuum cleaners is the vacuum air that is discharged in their use. Which is that, even though it is sucking in a lot of air, it is also expelling the same amount, albeit with added pollutants. This has been proved to be devastating to people that are prone to allergies and other airborne particles. Thankfully it is an issue that has been identified and worked upon by a lot of vacuum cleaner manufacturers and so products developed under this tend to expel cleaner air than what it sucks in.
Smart Functions and attachments
No modern gadget can exist without a bit of 21st century technology flare and manufacturers are well aware of that. So be it as it may, the modern arsenal of home cleaning appliances along with the vacuum has also seen its fair share in this technological upshift with advanced controls and attachments that lets it be a tool for different use cases rather than a singular purpose. Things like – multiple versatile attachments for using it in a wide range of applications, smart controls to adjust the vacuum power and self-cleaning functions. All of it just add to the versatility of this amazing product.
Conclusion
The advancement in vacuum cleaner technologies is a testament to the capabilities of human intelligence and ingenuity. This is a product that have stood strong with everyone even after a decade of its initial launch and if anything, it’ll continue to evolve as time passes. The future of smart home gadgets is more exciting than ever and products like these might even go through more drastic changes than we can imagine.
About the Author
Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.
Related Posts
Things to Consider When Choosing Household Equipment →
3 Budget Vacuum Cleaners That Perform Just as Well as More Expensive Models →
Vacuum Cleaner vs. Carpet Cleaner – What are the Major Differences →
