The Eureka Boss portable vacuum is designed to clean lightly
to moderately soiled areas in an easy to transport and compact case. Though
this product may meet the needs of its American domestic user base, there are
many changes that could be applied to make it a more appealing product in the
international market. A primary target would be the developed Japanese market
which is not only a high end consumer base, but because of cultural and
religious custom highly concerned with cleanliness. Furthermore several
manufacturing alterations could be made to cater to the Japanese market.
One of the most glaring drawbacks of the Eureka Boss is that
it doesn't fully function in its niche: a portable hand held vacuum. This is
because the vacuum is corded with the elect current supplied to the motor
originating directly from an outlet. This restricts the freedom and usability
of the vacuum cleaner according to the nearest outlet. A user cannot keep one
handy in their car for example, even though such a setting would be a prime
application for the product. The Japanese product market has been moving away
from corded electronics and accessories for some time now. To debut this product
in this international market would represent not a step forward in innovative
thinking, but a regression which would most undoubtedly affect product sales.
Japanese culture revolves around cleanliness and this has
not escaped media attention. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil famously featured
Japanese fans tidily cleaning their seating area after the match before leaving
the stadium. The most influential religions in Japan, Shintoism and Buddhism,
associate cleanliness with Good and dirtiness with Evil. In fact that Japanese
word for clean, Kirei, also means pretty. Though the vacuum is inherently a
tool for cleanliness, the Eureka Boss does have certain components which could
be improved to make the overall product conform more fittingly to these
standards of cleanliness.
The first alteration would be to replace the vacuum filter
with a baggless cyclone system. This system works by causing the sucked in
dirty air to spin quickly in circles. As this occurs the dirt particles mixed
in the air experience strong centrifugal forces. These forces cause the dirt
particles to hit the sides of the cone and collect at the bottom. See figures
(1) for a reference to centrifugal forces and figure (2) for a visual depiction
of the cone filtration system.
 |
| Figure 1 |
 |
| Figure 2 |
This system’s advantages are that it no longer requires
users to regularly replace filthy filters. In fact disposal of such waste is
easier and cleaner prospect as well with a plastic lid that opens to dispose of
waste over a receptacle. Combined with the fact that the baggless cone
filtration system is a new and exciting method of waste collection, this would
greatly enhance this product to the Japanese consumer.
The second method of catering to Japanese cleanliness
customs is using “a fine white anti-microbial powder called Zeomic, [which] can
be mixed into plastics…retains its germ-killing properties even at high
temperatures”. Though this may seem like an unnecessary addition, the Japanese
market has already seen introduction of such germ killing accessories. Starting
with the introduction of anti-microbial socks the market has expanded to
include “anti-bacterial pajamas, stockings and girdles, pens and notebooks,
flutes and piano keys, computer keyboards, drinking glasses, sinks and toilets”.
Toyota has announced anti-bacterial steering wheels, Matsushita a
anti-microbial clothes dryer, and Hitachi a literal money laundering process. Given
that appliances such as vacuum cleaners invariably get soiled during their
product life spans, such proactive measures will place the Eureka Boss as
innovate in its catering to Japanese cultural considerations.
A consideration to
the earlier theorized product alteration from cordless to battery must be
noted. Because there is no longer a steady supply of AC from the outlet to the
product (as in a corded vacuum) a more energy efficient motor configuration
would be ideal in prolonging battery and charge longevity and thus increasing
consumer satisfaction. The current model has an 8-pole motor. 4-pole motors
with an RPM of 1,800 however are the most efficient winding configuration for
motors and 2-pole motors, with an RPM of 3,600, are the least efficient. Figure
(3) below graphically demonstrates the efficiency charts for various pole
configurations
 |
| Figure 3 |
This chart thus shows that by changing the Boss to a 4-pole
winding would achieve peak efficiency. This would result in a longer battery
life and thus a greater degree of freedom in product use. In a market where
battery life is considered vital to the practicality and usefulness of a
product, this change is necessary. Remaining as a corded vacuum in the wireless
Japanese tech market sets the product up for failure.
There are some final considerations for the product that
would be low cost high impact changes. The first would be to include an
attachment that allows a brush to clip at the end of the intake nozzle. This
brush allows for moderately to heavily soiled areas to be better cleaned by the
Eureka Boss. As the particles are agitated the force of friction required by
the air passing by and being sucked into the vacuum to dislodged and bring the
particles with them would be less.
Another useful attachment would be a nozzle that would
effectively create a smaller intake valve. This is important when taking into
consideration Bernoulli's principle see Figure (4)
 |
| Figure 4 |
Because in the smaller nozzle valve the speed of the
spinning fan is constant the amount of air per time is also constant. Due to
the smaller intake then the particles have to pass through the fan faster.
According to the equation as speed increases then pressure decreases. The
pressure within the vacuum has decreased due to the increased speed. This means
that with the ambient room pressure still a constant and the pressure within
the fan a smaller number, there is a greater force of suction from the high
pressure gradient to low. This creates a more effective vacuum. This nozzle
could be used when greater suction would thus be useful. In real world terms
consider a large collection of fine particles, the nozzle would be ideal in
using the greater suction to quickly clean the area thoroughly of such finely
sized contaminants.
The vacuum is a common item in modern Japan, as a ubiquitous
cleaning appliance. The hand held vacuum fills a niche in this environment. The
Eureka Boss, with these suggested alterations, would be a market leader in
innovation and relevancy to customer needs. With a carefully redesigned product
in light of the importance of Japanese cleaning customs, the Eureka Boss would
no doubt emerge as a market leader and trend setter for the foreseeable future.
Revisiting the Japanese word synonymous for both cleanliness and pretty, Kirei
, these changes are not trivial. They allow the product to present itself as a
sleek and elegant piece of machinery that fills a very important social need of
ritual cleanliness. These changes are both practical and relevant for releasing
this product to the international Japanese market. That is, in the opinion of
this Cultural Anthropologist.
Works Cited:
0 comments:
Post a Comment