Watch: Dyson unveils the 360 Eye, its robotic vacuum cleaner
In recent years James Dyson has experimented with fans and hand dryers, but it seems he has returned to his first love, the vacuum cleaner.
At a press conference in Japan this morning, Dyson unveiled his first robotic vacuum, the 360 Eye.
Admittedly, robotic vacuum cleaners aren't a new idea – in 2001 Dyson trailed its own version, the DC06 – but that was scrapped when it turned out it would have cost about $3,000 (£1,820).
At the event, the eponymous entrepreneur noted how the new model would be better than its rivals:
Most robotic vacuum cleaners don't see their environment, have little suction and don't clean properly.
How will the 360 Eye be different? Because it uses digital motor and cyclone technology, and also because of infrared sensors fitted to the bottom and a panoramic, 30-frame-a-second camera fitted to the top, which makes it more thorough, reckons Dyson.
The cleaner will be launched in Japan at the end of the year, and in the UK, Europe, China and Australia in 2015. Although no price has been announced, Engadget reported it would cost about $1,650 (around £1,000 if you're in the market). A snip, if that means no more hoovering…