When the tool is connected to the hose of a vacuum cleaner, the air sucked in through the open end drives a turbine which rotates one blade over a stationary blade to create a scissor action. To cut hair, the user slides the end of the gadget over the scalp. As the air is sucked in to drive the turbine, it also pulls hair in through the scissor gap. The length of cut is controlled by extension nozzles of different lengths. The shorter the nozzle, the closer the haircut.
Cut hair ends up in the dust bag of the vacuum cleaner.
The buzz is that the latest hair-styling craze in the US involves a Van de Graaff generator. Next, you stand touching a Van de Graaff machine while someone winds the handle until sufficient charge has built up to make your hair stand on end. At that point, the hairdresser dashes about, spraying your hair with a varnish-like substance so that it holds its position when you let go of the machine. It can't be true, surely.