Click here for more detailed table Beating the dust problem is not just a matter of having a powerful vacuum cleaner, but of having one that is both adaptable and easy to handle around the home. Although a manual carpet sweeper may be a suitable alternative for removing surface dust, most homes will also need a larger, electric machine. To maximise efficiency and reduce energy use, choose a model with good suction power and an effective filter. Buy our detailed Ethical Research Reports. See the findings behind companies’ ethical ratings, as featured in The Good Shopping Guide. Several different product sectors available covering hundreds of consumer brands. Vacuum cleaners are rated by manufacturers in terms of their wattage, a measure that only reveals the size of the motor. As the average vacuum cleaner wastes most of the electricity it uses in heat and noise, the power rating is not necessarily a helpful indication of its effectiveness. Only about a quarter of the power output of a vacuum cleaner is actual suction.

Electrolux makes a Smart Vac range with 450W of suction from 1,500W input, and this is high compared to most. Miele makes a model called Naturell with an energy-saving 800W motor. Manufacturers might be willing to disclose the suction power data upon request, but this information is not usually found on the label. There are plans to encourage producers to make more efficient machines by introducing voluntary labelling schemes. One organisation working on this is the Group for Efficient Appliances, a forum of representatives from national energy agencies and European governments. Most EU member states are involved, but in previous years the UK has not put forward a representative. Dyson’s bag-free machines arguably have less impact on the environment because they do not require paper and other resources for this consumable part, but there is disagreement about whether or not a collection bag interferes with the efficiency of the suction. Dyson asserts that because its machines have no bag their efficiency is constant.

Machines with bags do tend to drop in efficiency as the bag fills, reducing the amount of dust that is picked up. However, manufacturers such as Miele claim that this deficiency is outweighed by the advantages of a bag, which acts as an extra filter for dust particles and also prolongs the life of the motor.henry vacuum cleaner names Some companies make vacuum cleaners with ‘high efficiency filters’ to minimise the re-emission of dust. why do animals hate vacuum cleanersThese include Medivac (www.medivac.co.uk), a high scorer in the Ethical Company Organisation’s research, whose products are specially designed to offer health benefits to people with dust allergies and asthma. vacuum cleaners oregon city

Many high efficiency cleaners have been approved by the British Allergy Foundation (BAF), who operate a system of inspection that includes doubleblind testing, ensuring the testers have no idea which product belongs to which manufacturer. It is often possible to buy a reconditioned machine second-hand, or to repair a broken one, rather than investing in a brand new cleaner. Hand-held brushes are more efficient than they might appear, and simply require a little elbow grease, although they may not be suitable for households whose occupants suffer from dust allergies. Finally, there are always old-style carpet sweepers, which are manual, non-electric and work a treat. Check the ratings on the table below for the most ethical types of vacuum cleaner available, then search www.gooshing.co.uk for the best prices. It monitors 350 shops to find the cheapest place to buy your chosen brand. We have created ethical rankings for the following brands, based on the activities of the company group (see above tables): Medivac, Miele, Rowenta, Morphy Richards, Vax, AEG, Electrolux, Hoover, Nilfisk, Panasonic, Dyson, Philips, Hitachi

Did you find this research helpful? Please consider donating, and keep this website free.Donation Amount: (Currency: GBP)Let friends in your social network know what you are reading aboutTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPinterestPosted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. NEW YORK — When Dallas police detonated a “bomb robot” Thursday night to take down a sniper suspect, it was believed to be the first time a robot was used by law enforcement to kill a human being in the U.S.Dallas Police Chief David Brown explained in a press conference that “other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger.”The action raises ethical questions about the role of robots in warfare or, in this case, police work, especially given continuing breakthroughs in machine learning and artificial intelligence.AZCENTRALPolice use robots for more than just bomb disposal“I think for all of us, the first issue that comes to mind is some degree of relief,” says Michael Kalichman, director of the Center for Ethics in Science and Technology.  

“While it's premature to judge exactly what happened, it certainly seems likely that this ended a tragedy that could have been far worse. However, we also can't help but think about where this will go next.”Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told reporters Friday he could foresee the device being used in similar situations across the nation in the future, but only as a last resort. “The key thing is to keep our police out of harm’s way," he said.USA TODAY'Bomb robot' could be used again -- but only as last resortThe good news is that we’re a long way from unleashing robots that are potentially autonomous Terminator-like killing machines.The robot used by Dallas police remained under full human control, noted Martial Hebert, head of The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.CEO Sean Bielat of Endeavor Robotics, which before being spun off in April was the Defense & Security unit at iRobot, agrees: “When it comes to life and death, you want people making those decisions,” he says.

Endeavor has delivered more than 6,000 mobile robots worldwide, but only a few hundred to law enforcement. The costs — the robots command prices in excess of $100,000 — are a key barrier for some budget-strapped police agencies. The rest go to military in the U.S. and in other countries.Robots enlisted for law enforcement — say, helping determine whether there were any additional shooters during the December mass shooting in San Bernardino — represent just one segment of a disparate but flourishing industry.Robots have been infiltrating numerous areas, some for years, others more on the cutting edge. There’s a sizable consumer segment — think toys and Roomba vacuum cleaners — as well as applications that touch industrial, medical, enterprise, drones and autonomous vehicles fields.According to the Tractica market research firm, in 2015, there were about 8.8 million robotics shipments made globally, roughly 75% from the consumer segment. By 2020, Tractica projects shipments to reach about 61.4 million, with the consumer share dropping to around 50%.“

Robotics in a general have gone from science fiction to an ever-present and growing (force) in both war and civilian life,” says Peter Singer, author of Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century, who has documented more than 20 different examples of autonomous and AI systems being worked on for war.Unmanned drones, which have been been lumped into the robotics category, have certainly been used in warfare.Whether various robotics systems eventually end up in widespread use by law enforcement isn't so much about the technology as it is about legal, financial and ethical policy.“The reality is that there are innumerable reasons why things can and will go wrong," Kalichman says. "Deciding when the risks of making things worse outweigh the possibility of a successful outcome is at best based on an educated guess. This isn't to say the choice to deploy the robot in Dallas was mistaken; it's only a reminder that these questions are not easily answered.”