While not quite the fully automatic action of the Roomba, this new Hoover vacuum has an interesting quality: it doesn’t use wheels — it floats on a cushion of air. It’s the kind of retro-futuristic vacuum I’d expect to see on the Jetsons.


The Hoover Constellation is your standard cannister vacuum minus the wheels. The exhaust from the operation of vacuuming is vented through the bottom of the device which allows it to float around behind you on a thin cushion of air, just like that big hovercraft you might see on a river. I’m not sure just how free-moving it is, but I’d guess that you don’t want to take corners too fast or swing the hose around since it might run the cannister into the walls more easily than a wheeled unit.

It’s a neat example of using a “waste product” (the exhaust) to actually simplify the product and enhance its functionality. The Hoover Constellation is available from Amazon and other retailers.

Thanks to GreenHead for the idea. This was a guest-post by Mike from Gizmo-Central – fun gadgets without the PDAs and cellphones