The list of things that robot vacuums can be done today continues to grow. They can create an accurate map of your home so they don't bump into things. They can empty themselves and recharge themselves. They can reach under your couch to clean the crud. Many have dual mopping-vacuuming functionality to wipe up your dog's muddy paws.
Something that most robots vacuum cannot be done at present is picking up things from your floor. Running a robot vacuum can save you a lot of time and energy, but it usually requires spending 10 to 20 minutes frantically running around trying to defuse robovac booby traps by moving or getting cables, shoelaces, and stray hair ties.
This year, Roborock won the race to launch a commercial robot vacuum with an extendable arm that can pick up small pieces of clutter in its path, thus becoming the robot butler of your dreams. The Roborock Saros Z70 has this extendable arm with gripping pincers that the company calls Omnigrip. I screamed when I saw it.
Courtesy of Roborock
Spin Me Right Round
In my testing, a robot vacuum is only useful as its navigation system is accurate; all the suction power in the world won't help you if it can't find its way out from under your couch. I found Roborock's navigation systems to be quite accurate. The Saros Z70 uses a combination of sensors for navigation. There's an array of 3D Time-of-Flight sensors to measure distances between objects, and an AI-powered RGB camera to detect obstacles and to decide when to deploy the Omnigrip. (The arm stays folded and stored in a small bay on top of the vacuum when not in use.)
The Omnigrip has five separate axes, so it can twist and turn itself horizontally and vertically to carefully grasp items in its tiny pincer grips. Today, it can pick up anything under 300 grams, or slightly less than a pound—so, items like tissue, socks, or even slippers.
To use the Omnigrip, Roborock customers activate it through the app. When the Saros Z70 passes through your home, it identifies potential items it can pick up while cleaning it, and then circles back to pick them up and put them away when it's done. In the app, you can choose the areas in your home where the Omnigrip works, how it should behave, and where it should place objects it will pick up.
