The list of Things that Robot vacuum cleaner what you can do now continues to grow. They can create an accurate map of your home so you don’t bump into things. You can empty yourself and recharge your batteries. You can reach under your sofa to clean the dirt. Many have dual mopping and vacuuming functions to clean up your dog’s muddy footprints.
One thing is the case with most robot vacuum cleaners cannot currently be carried out means picking things up from the ground. Operating a robot vacuum can save you a lot of time and energy, but you often have to spend 10 to 20 minutes frantically running around trying to defuse the robovac’s booby traps by moving or picking up cords, shoelaces, and stray hair ties.
This year, Roborock won the race to introduce a commercial robot vacuum cleaner that features an extendable arm that can pick up small particles of dirt that get in its way, becoming the robot butler of your dreams. The Roborock Saros Z70 features this extendable arm with grippers that the company calls Omnigrip. I screamed when I saw it.
Courtesy of Roborock
Turn me right around
In my tests, a robot vacuum cleaner is only as useful as its navigation system is accurate; All the suction power in the world is of no use if it can’t get out from under your sofa. I’ve found Roborock’s navigation systems to be consistently fairly accurate. The Saros Z70 uses a combination of sensors for navigation. There are a range of 3D time-of-flight sensors to measure the distances between objects and AI-powered RGB cameras to detect obstacles and decide when to use Omnigrip. (The arm remains folded and stored in a small compartment on top of the vacuum when not in use.)
Omnigrip has five separate axes so it can twist and rotate both horizontally and vertically to gently grip objects with its tiny pincer grips. At the moment it can hold anything that weighs less than 300 grams or a little less than a pound – items like tissues, socks or even a sandal.
To use Omnigrip, Roborock customers activate it via the app. As the Saros Z70 moves around your home, it detects potential items to lift while cleaning, then moves back around to pick them up and put them away when it’s finished. In the app, you can choose the areas in your home where Omnigrip will work, how you want it to behave, and where you want it to place the things it picks up.
