- Robot vacuum manufacturer Roborock has unveiled a new system with a robotic arm that can pick up items you leave on the floor to clean a room more thoroughly. Pricing and an exact release date haven’t been revealed.
Robot vacuums have made life easier for millions of homeowners, but there are some things they can’t do—like moving objects out of the way that you’ve forgotten to pick up. Roborock, though, is taking steps to change that.
At CES this week, the company has unveiled its new flagship robovac, the Saros Z70, which features an articulating robotic arm that can reach out and move objects in its path. No price or release date has been announced, but the device is on display at CES this week.
To be clear, this isn’t an excuse for owners to become more slobbish. The vacuum’s arm moves very (very) slowly and can only lift objects that weight less than 300 grams. (To put that in perspective, a can of cola weighs about 384 grams and the lightest-weight tennis shoes run around 400 grams.) If you forget to move a dirty sock, small towel, tissue paper, or sandal, though, the Saros Z70 can work around it.
Other objects will be supported in future software upgrades, Roborock says, though it did not address whether heavier objects could be added.
The vacuum would prefer, however, that you clean things up yourself. It will detect and note which items it can lift, but avoid them as it cleans the rest of the room. Then after it has completed the majority of the work, it will circle back to the areas that were blocked before, and lift and clean there.
No, it will not put them away for you.
The system uses AI to identify more than 100 objects, including small toys and loose cables, and can learn up to 50 more.
The Saros Z70 not only lifts items off the floor, it’s a vacuum/mop robot with an antitangling system, so hair won’t get caught in the robot. It also is equipped with a camera to help navigate the home and identify objects, but that camera will also recognize your pets and take snapshots of them as it cleans and they move in to investigate it, which you can download.
And if you’ve got a dog or cat that’s prone to hiding, the system will also roam around the house to help you look for it.