With Sunday’s launch of Roborock’s Saros Z70 the first ever mass-market robot vacuums with mechanical, your next home helper may be able to pick up pieces of debris scattered about the room instead of simply cleaning around them. I was invited to a sneak peek of the Saros Z70 in New York last month, ahead of this week’s launch at CES. The 10 or so home tech reporters in attendance ooh’d and aah’d as the robot arm plucked crumpled socks off the stage and piled them neatly on the side — even if the demo didn’t go exactly as planned (more on that later).
Roborock’s Saros Z70, unveiled Sunday ahead of CES in Las Vegas, features a first-of-its-kind five-axis robotic arm dubbed the OmniGrip that emerges from the bot when it encounters items. It lifts any items weighing less than 10.5 ounces and deposits them in a single pile or designated basket so it can continue to clean unobstructed.
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Roborock’s new vac features a mechanical arm to clean away any debris in its path.
A glitchy start gave way to an impressive display
In its debut on stage at the Soho House members’ club in downtown Manhattan, Roborock’s Saros Z70 prototype initially refused to emerge from its chamber (who among us hasn’t suffered stage fright?), a mechanical glitch we are assured has been remedied for the retail version. After a few false starts, the arm was set free from its onboard cabin, at which time the slender circular vac approached a crumpled sock, sending its arm twisting out and down to capture it, much like those infernal claw machine games found in arcades.
Once it got going, the robot arm picked up several socks. It dropped the occasional pickup but didn’t give up until it had it in its clutches, and then dutifully carried each one to a single area on the stage designated by a brand rep through the mobile app. We were told by the rep that the current version is better at recognizing black socks than it is white.
After a few false starts, the Robotrock vac began picking up scattered socks strewn about the stage.
While the demo was mostly controlled, the final version of the vac will seek out and remove debris on its own during regular cleaning cycles. During an initial sweep, the Saros Z70 should carry out normal duties but also detect and mark objects it can lift. In theory, it will then circle back to items such as socks, tissues and small towels to tidy up during a second round of cleaning.
The Saros Z70 is able to detect up to 108 different obstacles. While the list of objects OmniGrip can actually lift is far smaller, more items will be supported in future software upgrades, according to Roborock’s official release. Those who purchase the first generation model can expect remote improvements to the OmniGrip without having to shell out more dough.
It won’t grab your kid or cat by accident
And for those worried about the arm grabbing an innocent cat or a tuft of a toddler’s hair, Roborock says the arm’s grip isn’t strong enough to do any harm. Just in case, the vac includes a child lock and safety stop button, allowing for immediate shutdown in any scenario.
There are also pet-friendly features that allows users to check in on their animals, capture snapshots and schedule on-demand cruises. The vac moves aside when approaching pets to avoid frightening them.
New advanced object recognition
The mechanical arm relies on Roborock’s next-gen StarSight navigation and object recognition.
While the grabbing arm gets most of the glory, none of its performance would be possible without precision sensors, a camera and an LED light fixed to the robot’s slim frame, all of which are controlled by Roborock’s next-gen StarSight navigation and object recognition system.
“Instead of using a traditional LDS (LIDAR) tower module for navigation, the system integrates next-gen dual-light 3D time-of-flight sensors and RGB cameras powered by AI to determine its position, surroundings and whether the object it grips is overweight,” Roborock said in a statement.
Arm aside, this is a top-tier robot vacuum
In addition to its flashy new appendage, the Roborock Saros Z70 has the robovac basics down. It features 22,000 Pa of suction power, paired with a dual anti-tangle system, which deploys itself to prevent hair from tangling around the vacuum. The machine’s dual-spinning mops can lift up to 2.2 centimeters (just under an inch), allowing for increased air circulation and faster drying and prevents the vac from dragging dirt across clean surfaces. All of this comes inside one of the slimmest robot vacuums on the market at just 7.98cm (3.14 inches) high.
The Saros Z70 will be available later this year, according to a brand spokesperson. Pricing is yet to be announced.
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