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Samsung tackles hairy issue with anti-tangle vacuum cleaner

Samsung tackles hairy issue with anti-tangle vacuum cleaner
Samsung has developed a new turbine for its vacuum cleaners, which keeps hair from tangling around the grille
Samsung has developed a new turbine for its vacuum cleaners, which keeps hair from tangling around the grille
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Samsung has developed a new turbine for its vacuum cleaners, which keeps hair from tangling around the grille
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Samsung has developed a new turbine for its vacuum cleaners, which keeps hair from tangling around the grille
Samsung has also developed a new type of brush for the head, which pushes hair through to the dustbin more efficiently
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Samsung has also developed a new type of brush for the head, which pushes hair through to the dustbin more efficiently
The anti-tangle turbine works by using a second fan to blow air in the opposite direction, keeping hair away from the fan or grille
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The anti-tangle turbine works by using a second fan to blow air in the opposite direction, keeping hair away from the fan or grille
Samsung says the new device won't add much bulk to the unit, since it runs off the same motor
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Samsung says the new device won't add much bulk to the unit, since it runs off the same motor
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Hair is both a blessing and a curse, as anyone with pets or just a full (or thinning) head of the stuff knows. While it's nice to run your hands through, it's not so nice to pull tangled clumps of it out of the grille or brush of a vacuum cleaner. Samsung has developed a new system for its vacuum cleaners that uses a turbine to keep stray strands of hair away from the grille, making it easier to clean and less likely to lose suction.

In a conventional vacuum cleaner, a spinning fan pulls air and debris into the dustbin, while a grille catches the flying dust and hair before it gets into the fan itself. Samsung's Anti-Tangle system is designed to stop the grille getting clogged by introducing a turbine fan that blows air in the opposite direction. This keeps hair in the dustbin where it can be easily emptied, and it should also mean the vacuum won't lose its suction power over time.

The anti-tangle turbine works by using a second fan to blow air in the opposite direction, keeping hair away from the fan or grille
The anti-tangle turbine works by using a second fan to blow air in the opposite direction, keeping hair away from the fan or grille

So does this new turbine turn the vacuum cleaner into a hulking monster? According to Samsung, the new technology is less than an inch thick, and runs off the same motor that powers the vacuum's regular suction. At 35,000 rpm, that motor drives the new turbine to spin at 10,000 rpm, which is the middle ground Samsung settled on to balance efficiency and noise reduction.

Samsung has also redesigned the vacuum's other hair-fighting device – the brush. These are usually designed to be keep hair from getting into the bin and messing up the place, but said hair often ends up in tangled clumps that need to be pulled off to keep the brush rolling and the vacuum working. The new (optional) rubber brush in Samsung's system aims to solve the problem in a different way, with a new air-flow structure that lets the hair glide straight on into the dustbin, where the turbine does the dirty work.

The Anti-Tangle system was designed by Dongjin Cho, an engineer in the Samsung's Kitchen and Cleaning Advanced R&D Lab, who was apparently inspired by an aeroplane turbine engine.

The Anti-Tangle Turbine and brush tool will first appear in the Samsung VC5100, and may end up in other models down the track. The system is demonstrated in the promo video below.

Source: Samsung

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