Beijing officials this week warned children and the elderly to stay indoors due severe smog. It has become a major problem in China's capital city and elsewhere in the country - forcing closures, damaging health and reducing visibility to less than 10 metres. The solution, according to Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde, is to use an electronic vacuum cleaner to clean up the air. Scroll down for videos A woman wearing a mask checks her mobile phone during a smoggy day on the square in front of Harbin's landmark church, in Heilongjiang Difficult to see: Buildings are shrouded in heavy fog in Shengyang, China. A heavy smog shrouded Harbin yesterday for the second straight day, forcing the closure of schools and highways
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System uses copper coils to create electrostatic field that attracts smog
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This creates holes of clean air which can be as large as 60 metres
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The coils can then be buried in the ground and leave no toxic residue
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Harbin city in Heilongjiang province, China, suffering from severe smog
Choking clouds of pollution blanketed @placeholder, in China's Heilongjiang province, which is famed for its annual ice festival