New Designers 2011: product design graduate Ben Fursdon has created the Broo-ver, a broom converted into a vacuum cleaner.

Fursdon reduced the ubiquitous household machine to the minimum number of components to make it easier to clean and repair.

A clear plastic jug collects the dirt and unclips to reveal removable filters. Components are arranged in a straight line along the handle, eliminating bends in the pipe to reduce blockages.

Fursdon designed the prototype while studying at Kingston University and presented it at graduate show New Designers in London last week.

New Designers took place 6-9 July. See more stories about the work on show »

Here are some more details from Ben Fursdon:

Broo-ver

Less plastic, less parts, less hassle: a new approach to the humble vacuum cleaner.

Vacuum cleaners are a household essential, used often, abused more often and thrown away in vast numbers. Due to the complicated assembly and myriad of components, many vacuum cleaners end up at landfill when they could be repaired. Broo-ver is designed to empower the owner. Stripped down to the minimum amount of parts possible, Broo-ver promotes easy maintenance, increased level of ownership and understanding  and longer product life span.

The main concept for Broo-ver came about after a trip to the local land-fill site. After seeing the mass amount of vacuum cleaners that were being thrown away, and learning that around 8 out of 10 of them could be repaired quite simply, I decided to design a vacuum cleaner with simplicity and minimal components. My in-depth research included deconstructing numerous vacuum cleaners (modern and old), spending time with the owner of the UK's only vacuum cleaner museum (James Brown) and generally trying to learn everything and anything about vacuum cleaners. After creating various working models which were then tested on users, the final Broo-ver shape and components developed.

The end result is an elegantly simple and user-focused vacuum cleaner, which affords the owner a better understanding of how it works and increased level of ownership.