#HTE

Jury-Rigged “Broom Disc” Street Sweepers in China

In Chinese cities, you can see municipal workers using jury-rigged street sweepers like this:

They’ve been in use since at least 2008 (perhaps in preparation for Beijing’s first Olympics?) when this video was shot:

In this snippet, you can see the workers just stick the end of eacg broom handle into a bracket, then tighten it down with a bolt, in the manner of a set screw:

The stat in the video above might be a tad inflated. According to this Chinese state-run newspaper, “Such a road sweeper can complete 20 kilometers of road surface cleaning every day, which is equivalent to the labor efficiency of 20 maintenance workers for a whole day.”

They also look kind of fun to drive. And I have to say, I don’t think I’ve seen a solution like this in any other country.