A fascinating new series of events is being held at the Science Museum to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the patent of the vacuum cleaner (30 August). The Research & Development teams behind Dyson's DC06 and Electrolux's Robovac will show us what the future of housework holds from 28 August 2001.
In The Robot Invasion‚ which will take place in the Science Museum’s Antenna exhibition‚ rival robot vacuum cleaners will be on display while experts reveal the scientific and design developments behind them.
Tuesday the 28th August 12.00 – 14.00. Visitors can meet Dyson’s Senior Design Engineer Phil Bommer who will present the DC06‚ the robotic Dyson cleaner‚ and answer any questions on the subject. Other vacuum cleaners from the Dyson range‚ including the original dual-cyclone and the most recent Root8 cyclone technology‚ will also be on display. A live online link from Antenna to James Dyson will allow visitors to question the engineer on the outlook of dust busting.
Wednesday the 29th August 12.00 – 14.00. A senior engineer from the team that developed Electrolux’s Robovac will put a working prototype through its paces. Robovac’s 91-year-old predecessor and Electrolux’s latest award-wining models will also be on display.
Thursday the 30th and Friday 31st of August 12.00 – 14.00. Both the DC06 and Robovac will be in Antenna with a Science Museum representative on hand to answer any questions.
Visitors to the Museum’s Secret Life of the Home exhibition can also see the UK’s most comprehensive collection of vacuum cleaners – from early cleaners the size of a car through to the modern cyclone vacuums of today
Notes to Editors
1) Entrance to the Science Museum - Adults £7.95‚ Students £4.95. Over 60s and under 16s free. The Science Museum is open daily between 10:00 – 18:00.
2) The Science Museum’s Wellcome Wing has been made possible by two major benefactions. In the first major lottery award to the sciences‚ the Heritage Lottery Fund has contributed £23m and‚ in one of the largest grants ever made to a museum in this country‚ the Wellcome Trust‚ the independent medical research charity‚ has donated £17.75m.
3) Further generous support for the Antenna exhibition has been provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council‚ and Nature.
