No, not new, been on the go in the UK in Vax models for some time.
Here is a picture of an American Hoover agitator. Notice that the clumps of bristles sit upon a pronounced spiral ridge. This ridge beats the carpet.
The periodic gaps in the spiral ridge are there to accommodate the guard straps that span the soleplate. This to to prevent the flex and lightweight carpets/rugs from being drawn into the agitator cavity, jamming the agitator and breaking the belt. In the case of the flex, damaged flex might mean electrocution to the user.
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