Vacuum Cleaner Storage

Client:

Philips
TU Delft: Advanced Embodiment Design

Year:

Feb. 2012 - Jul. 2012

Team:

"StudioStor"
Robert van den Born
Jasper Goossensen
Geertje Hofstee
David Ladiges
Roald Piera

Summary:

For this project Philips asked us to look for a compact storage solution for cannister type vacuum cleaners. One of the main issues in storage is the dynamic volume of the hose and tube.

Our solution is to introduce a system where the hose can be easily moved to cover the tube, which decreases the volume footprint and increases overall rigidity of the vacuum cleaner during transport. Within this project we have gone from idea to materialisation, including a fully functional prototype.

Philips thought our design was worthy of applying for a patent, which unfortunately after further research turned out to be already patented by competitor Dyson.

Vacuum cleaners often require a lot of effort to put in storage or carry between rooms. Many solutions offered require the user to disconnect parts of the vacuum cleaner and store them separately, this is often not well received. Carrying the vacuum cleaner around is often a battle with the unwieldy hose and tube flailing about unpredictably.

Our solution takes care of this problem by offering a fast and easy system that lets the user slide the hose over the tube, resulting in a decreased volume footprint and increased stability.

Prototype

Central in this project was development of a fully functional prototype, to test both principle as well as consumer acceptance. All images on this page are made with the prototype featured. This prototype was later used in a 'big-brother is watching you' user test at the Philips Research Facility in Drachten, in a fully furnished and camera equipped house.