Our homes are filled with clutter that can trap or derail robot vacuum cleaners as they go about their cleaning duties. Before you know it, you’re being called on to rescue the hapless droids from an errant sock or snake-like charging cable. So much for putting your feet up and letting the machines do the work.
But, what if your little cleaning assistant could handle those pesky obstacles by itself? That’s the problem Chinese robot vacuum maker Roborock has set out to solve with its latest model, the Saros Z70.
Unveiled at the CES 2025 tech expo in Las Vegas, the new bot can spot and remove obstructions using its folding arm. The mechanical appendage is stowed away in a panel on the top of the vac, and only pops out when it senses an object in the way.
There are plenty of instances where you can see it coming in handy. Say, you’ve dropped a small towel on the floor or the kids have left their sandals lying about. Instead of bumping into them or, even worse, getting entangled, the Z70 can pick up the obstructions and move them out of the way. This allows it to reach and clean those blocked areas other vacuums would typically avoid.
Ultimately, it can lift anything that weighs less than 300g using its tong-like grip. Anything heavier and the arm’s built-in weight sensor will give it the red light, lest it presumably snap off. Here’s hoping it doesn’t use its fake limb to climb out of the window, and escape its life of drudgery.
The robot vacuum comes with two cameras, one attached to the front and one on the folding arm itself. Of course, it relies on artificial intelligence, which may be the case for every new gadget at CES if early announcements from the show are anything to go by. Specifically, Roborock says the Z70 is pre-programmed to recognise 108 objects, with the ability to define 50 more in users’ households.
You can even control it manually using the accompanying app if you need a remote-controlled litter picker – or you just want to chase around your cats.
However, it may require a bit longer to complete its tasks. Whereas most robot vacs need only map your home once before they get to work, the new bot will take two turns to fully clean a house. On the first go, it will rove around detecting and marking objects, before hoovering on the second lap. Let’s hope the battery has enough juice to handle the extra mileage.
While Roborock hasn’t announced the Z70’s price yet, it probably won’t come cheap. The company’s highest-rated models cost between £699-£1,000 in the UK. The fancy AI tricks and mechanical arm are sure to bump up the price even more.
