For just $20, your run-of-the-mill floormat does a marginally good job at cleaning the bottom of your shoes. But if you’re willing to spend a little more, like $6,000, you can upgrade to this vacuum-powered mat that sucks every last bit of dirt off your soles.
The mat was developed by Paionia Furyokuki and its surface is perforated with valves that are only opened as they’re stepped on. So as someone walks across the mat, it activates what are essentially a series of little vacuums that suck the dirt and debris off the sole of the shoe, and then into an external unit where it can be later disposed of. It’s a little over-the-top as far as floor mats go (ok, a LOT over-the-top) but it ensures the surface doesn’t get caked with dirt over time that’s going to be carried into a building. Oh, and it goes without saying, but you never have to clean it. [DigInfo TV via Ubergizmo]
