In a world that is looking towards driverless cars, vehicles that are online all the time, and the long-anticipated flying cars from Back to the Future, it’s great to see that some innovations are as simple as taking a couple of old concepts and putting them together.

Such is the case with HondaVAC, the first in-vehicle vacuum cleaner. Many parents who are used to a clean vehicle know the frustration that comes with children. By nature, they are messy. It’s hard to drive by a popular car wash without seeing a minivan parked in front of a vacuum.

It’s an idea that was inspired not by intense market study or during a brainstorming session with a group of PhD’s, but rather from a 10-year old. A Honda engineer was driving when his daughter casually mentioned, “You know what we need in here, Dad? A vacuum cleaner.”

Brilliant.

According to Honda in the News:

Honda has teamed up with vacuum maker Shop-Vac to develop HondaVAC, an in-vehicle vacuuming system exclusive to the Odyssey Touring Elite. Owners can use the integrated system to whisk away messes like food scraps, pet hair, sand and other debris. Though HondaVAC is located in the rear of the minivan behind the third row, the vacuum hose is long enough to reach the front seats and their surrounding areas.

Honda may have just won the minivan war with a single innovation. Here’s the dirt killer in action along with a couple of other innovations for the 2014 Honda Odyssey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9YxOdvM5lY