British engineering company Dyson has announced its first robot vacuum cleaner at an event in Tokyo.The Dyson 360 Eye joins a crowded market - Hoover, iRobot, Samsung, Neato and Vileda are among other manufacturers to sell such products.But the Cotswolds-based company says its machine has more powerful suction and should be better at spotting dirt thanks to a "unique" camera system.One expert said the claims sounded "quite compelling". "If it works as well as Dyson says it does, then this could be the robot vacuum cleaner to get mainstream market penetration, and not just be a niche product," said Will Findlater, who covers technology for Stuff magazine. "Up until this point robot vacuums have been objects of geek affection. "Certainly our experience of the competitors has been that they may do more on the robotics side of things than they do on the rather important business of cleaning your floors."The machine is due to go on sale in Japan in the first three months of 2015, and then elsewhere later in the year.

Dyson previously showed off another robot vacuum cleaner - the DC06 - in 2001, but cancelled the project a few years later, in part because it would have cost consumers $3,000 (£1,820) or more.light upright vacuum cleaner reviewIt has yet to announce the price of the new model.miele vacuum cleaners versus dysonAccording to Dyson, most other robot vacuums use "weak, inefficient motors" in order to conserve battery life.panasonic vacuum cleaner belt replacementBy contrast, it uses the same V2 digital motor found in its other handheld vacuum cleaners, and combines it with a brush bar that covers the full width of the machine, rather than relying on side sweepers."We've been developing for a number of years some of the smallest and most powerful digital motors available, and getting that right has enabled us to give the machine very powerful suction, so it can have a very high performance clean," Nick Schneider, a design engineer at the company, told the BBC.

"In addition we've developed a vision system that enables the machine to be very methodical in its clean and not miss sections of floor space."The vacuum is fitted with a panoramic lens, which sits on top of a camera that captures 360-degree views at 30 frames a second. This is combined with data from infrared sensors to let the machine's internal computer make sense of its position and surroundings.Another innovation is the ability to schedule a clean remotely via an Android or iOS app.Although other robot vacuums tend to have less suction power than human-directed vacuums, they make up for this by taking several passes at each room. So, it remains to be seen if Dyson's model actually leaves owners with cleaner homes.Mr Schneider also acknowledged that the new machine remained less powerful than his company's plug-in-and-push models, meaning it would take longer to do a big clean. But he said it might still be the preferable option for families with a house layout that suited the automated tech."

We're a way off in terms of comparing it to our corded machines," he said."But the benefit that it has is that you don't have to be there to use it. "So, perhaps even if the performance isn't quite what you'd expect from a DC41 [full-size upright vacuum], the benefit of the convenience of just being able to set it whenever, and not having to worry about it, I think, is its real appeal." Dyson's robot vacuum competitors are not resting on their laurels.American firm Moneual has a new model that adds a wet mop to help clean hard floors.Samsung's latest release allows owners to steer it to dirty spots by shining a laser pointer on the ground, which it then trundles towards.LG's newest machine can send photos of its surroundings to its owner's smartphone, allowing them to check if its done its job properly and order another pass if not.And Toshiba's Torneo Robo empties the dirt its gathers into its dock, allowing it to keep working without human intervention for extended periods of time.

Add to compare list Click and collect or home delivery Cleaning your home is no longer a difficult task, thanks to the Zanussi ZAN3002EL Compact Power Bagged Vacuum Cleaner. Sleek and compact, it comes loaded with plenty of features and on-board tools to help you tackle all types of cleaning jobs with ease. Its dual floor nozzle lets you move from hard floor to carpet or vice versa without having to change the nozzle. With “A” rating for hard floor dust pick up and “C” rating for carpet cleaning, this lightweight vacuum cleaner promises efficient cleaning. Its powerful 1400 W motor ensures optimum performance. A Rated for Hard Floor Dust Pickup C Rated for Carpet Cleaning Comes with Extension Tubes, Combination Crevice Nozzle and Brush Floor Nozzle Compact and Lightweight 2 Chrome Extension TubesHose,Combination Crevice Nozzle/BrushCrevice Nozzle/Brush Edge CleaningFoot Operated PedalsIndicator Energy Consumption - Annual Floor Cleaning Performance Class

Computers & Electrical – 1 to 3 days on stocked items, non stock product up to 10 days. Furniture & Bedding – 7 days stock items, Non Stock varies with supplier. If delivery is urgent check with the local store, we are here to assist. Locations within 30 km of a store are covered daily. Delivery times for rural areas may vary depending on routes and availability.Simply select the free pick up in store option and head to your nearest Harvey Norman store to pick up your order. Once the store has confirmed your order and reserved the stock, you will receive an email “Ready for collection”. If you feel your product has failed a Consumer Guarantee (as defined by Irish Consumer Law) then don't worry you can easily return it to your local Harvey Norman store. Zanussi Compact Power Bagged Vacuum Cleaner37DM23H and 37DT25H (see below for other model numbers)Robot vacuum cleaners are becoming more and more common - and it’s easy to see the appeal.

Instead of having to push and pull a machine around your house, you simply press a button, sit back and watch as the robot moves around cleaning, doing the hard work for you. Dyson was a relatively late entrant to the growing robot vacuum cleaner market, following hi-tech housework gadgets from iRobot and Samsung, among others. Having first unveiled its 360 Eye at the end of 2014, the British company has been showing it off for the first time in the UK at the Gadget Show Live. Check it out in the video above. The product’s name refers to the 360-degree camera built into the top, which the robot uses to map its surroundings - part of what Dyson calls an ‘Intelligent Vision system.’ The camera takes 30 photographs a second, working out where obstacles are and creating a map of each room.  When it cleans, it picks the most intelligent path, and, thanks to its mapping system, each section of the floor is only visited once. [Related story: Robot vacuum cleaners – too good to be true?]

Matt Kelly, engineer in research, design and development of Dyson, says this method of cleaning is incredibly efficient: “In terms of it its intelligence picking a route, it should be more intelligent than a human. In terms of going head to head with some of our full-size machines - that’s going to be a tougher challenge obviously.” The device’s labour-saving features include compatibility with Android and iOS. Using an app, you can schedule cleaning times, so your robot helper can get to work while you are out - and you can even check its route remotely. If the robot detects the battery is running low, it will move itself back to its dock, charge, and then return to finish the job. The product includes a V2 digital motor, as used in Dyson handhelds, with 20 air watts per suction, along with Dyson’s cyclone separation technology. A brush bar runs right across the base of the machine, so no part of its path is missed. Instead of wheels, it’s equipped with ‘tank tracks’ - enabling the 360 Eye to navigate obstacles such as chair legs, ledges and the thresholds of rooms.