Hoover planning a robovac

The Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner (pictured at right) has an almost cult-like following, but they've still got a long way to go before you'll be able to throw out your regular vacuum. That's why Hoover, probably the best-known vacuum cleaner company there is, has yet to introduce their own robovac. They say they're concerned about "performance", but that a robotic vacuum cleaner is definitely in their future and that they'd like to build ones that can also clean stairs and furniture.