VIDEO: Hamster controlled vacuum cleaner

A group of scientists have invented a vacuum cleaner which is controlled by a hamster running in an exercise ball.

The team from iRobot - the makers of robot vacuum cleaners - seem to have created the device for no other reason than they could.

During a video on their website they joke about having made the bot to get views on YouTube and even refer to it as a 'silly idea.'

But the science behind the 'Bionic Hamster Cleaner' is more serious - as the hamster runs in it's ball the movement is picked up and analyzed by a series of complex sensors on to of the robot.

This informations is then used to control the device and make it move at the same speed and in the same direction and the furry rodent runs ... now if only the tech could be adapted to let pets clean up after themselves.