Roborock's new flagship robot vacuum features an arm that can grab small objects

Robot vacuums can remove dust and dirt from your floors, but you’ll still have to pick up stray socks and other items scattered around your home. Now RoborockA Chinese company that makes robot vacuum cleaners and other household cleaning devices has introduced a new model that can pick up small items so you don’t have to. The Roborock Saros Z70 features a foldable robotic arm the company calls “OmniGrip.” It has five axles and can lift and store items under 300 grams such as socks, lightweight sandals and small dog toys.

Apparently, the AI-powered vacuum will mark items to lift while cleaning the floor, then return to pick them up when it’s finished. He then cleans the areas under the objects in the second pass. The OmniGrip uses its equipped precision sensors, camera and LED light to determine its position and determine whether an object is too heavy to lift.

Engadget got a quick demo of the arm in action during CES 2025, and the Saros Z70 could pick up socks and place them in a basket. The device we saw was a pre-production model that ran on a pre-programmed route in a hotel suite, so the vacuum might work differently in a real home. A Roborock representative said the vacuum cleaner for sale will be able to automatically detect 108 different objects, with the option to add up to 50 custom objects.

Before you can use it, you must activate the arm via the Roborock app. There you can also specify which objects it can interact with and where they should be placed. While Saro’s Z70 isn’t quite Rosey the Robot, it has the potential to make cleanup a lot easier. And it’s not just a prototype – Roborock plans to make it available for purchase this year.

In addition to the Saros 270, Roborock has launched two additional robot vacuum cleaners, a range of hand-held wet and dry vacuum cleaners and three all-in-one washer-dryers. The company will debut its home cleaning products at CES this year.