Chinese robot vacuum cleaner Roborock unveils a robot arm powered by artificial intelligence

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BEIJING – Chinese robot vacuum cleaner company Roborock on Monday unveiled a new model that comes with a foldable arm to remove socks and other obstacles – a feature powered by artificial intelligence.

It’s the latest step toward what Roborock president Quan Gang expects will be inevitable: robot vacuum cleaners becoming as essential as washing machines.

That’s something that could happen in three years, especially with the advent of artificial intelligence, Quan told CNBC in an interview in late November. “If the heyday of artificial intelligence has indeed arrived, I am confident that robot vacuum cleaners will be the first category to apply artificial intelligence,” he said in Mandarin, as translated by CNBC.

Using artificial intelligence developed by the company, the Roborock Saros Z70 can detect and remove obstacles such as socks, small towels, handkerchiefs and sandals weighing less than 300 grams (10.58 ounces), according to the company.

The Saros Z70 should be released in major global markets in the first half of the year, but Roborock has yet to announce pricing. The product reveal comes ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show, which begins Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Ever since the headquarters in Massachusetts iRobot launched its Roomba floor vacuum cleaner robot 2002circular machines have evolved to include wiping and the ability to automatically return to the charging base. Many companies, including several based in China, now sell robot vacuum cleaners.

Beijing-based Roborock began selling in the U.S. in 2018, Quan said, noting that sales in that country won’t start growing until 2023. Roborock also sells its robot vacuum cleaners in countries such as Germany, China and South Korea, and makes be sure to comply with local data privacy rules, Quan said.

But robot vacuum penetration rates remain low — just over 10% in developed countries and single digits in developing countries, Quan said. He said it’s both a challenge and a potential for growth, which he expects can get a boost from the integration of artificial intelligence.

The Verge and Wired at the end of last year, both of them declared different models of Roborock as the best robot vacuum available. But the machines are not cheap.

“Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra ($1,799.99) is an exceptional vacuum cleaner,” said The Verge, noting that it’s “the top model in the relatively new category of ‘hands-free’ robot vacuums, robots that do almost everything for you: empty your trash cans, fill your mop containers and clean and dry your mop pads.”

“Roborock invented the category with the S7 MaxV Ultra and is constantly improving it,” said The Verge.

Wired chose Roborock’s Qrevo S, which sells for $800 on Amazon. The review highlighted Qrevo’s lidar-based navigation and AI feature that allows the machine to distinguish between carpets and tiles to vacuum or mop.

The competition is fierce. CNET said the robot vacuum cleaners from two other companies are related best in 2025The $900 Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo — which also has a self-emptying trash can — and the $359 iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus.