Chinese robot vacuum cleaner company reveals model with an AI-powered arm

BEIJING — Chinese robot vacuum cleaner company Roborock revealed a new model on Monday that comes with a folding arm for removing socks and other obstacles — a feature powered by artificial intelligence.

It’s the latest step toward what Roborock President Quan Gang expects will be the inevitable: that robot vacuum cleaners become as essential as washing machines.

That’s something that could happen in as soon as three years, especially with the emergence of AI, Quan told CNBC in a late November interview. “If the era of AI flourishing has really arrived, I’m confident that robot vacuum cleaners will be the first category to apply AI,” he said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC.

Using AI that the company developed, the Roborock Saros Z70 can detect and remove obstructions such as socks, small towels, tissues and sandals weighing less than 300 grams (10.58 ounces), according to the company.

The Saros Z70 is set for release in major global markets in the first half of the year, but Roborock has yet to announce pricing. The product reveal comes ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show that kicks off Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Ever since Massachusetts-based iRobot launched its Roomba floor vacuuming robot in 2002, the circular machines have evolved to include mopping and the ability to automatically return to the charging base. Many companies, including several based in China, now sell robot vacuum cleaners.

Beijing-based Roborock started selling to the U.S. in 2018, Quan said, noting that sales in the country didn’t start to take off until 2023. Roborock also sells its robot vacuums in countries such as Germany, China and South Korea, and makes sure to adhere to local data privacy rules, Quan said.

But robot vacuum penetration rates remain low — just over 10% in developed countries and single digits in developing countries, Quan said. He said that’s both a challenge and a potential for growth, which he expects can get a boost from the integration of artificial intelligence.

The Verge and Wired late last year both named different Roborock models the best robot vacuum available. But the machines aren’t cheap.

“Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra ($1,799.99) is an exceptional vacuum cleaner,” The Verge said, noting it is “the best model in the relatively new category of ‘hands-free’ robot vacs, bots that do virtually everything for you: empty their bins, refill their mop tanks, and clean and dry their mop pads.”

“Roborock invented this category with the S7 MaxV Ultra and has been steadily improving it,” The Verge said.

Wired selected Roborock’s Qrevo S, which sells for $800 on Amazon. The review highlighted the Qrevo’s lidar-based navigation and AI feature which enable the machine to distinguish between carpets and tiles for vacuuming or mopping, respectively.

Competition is fierce. CNET said two other companies’ robot vacuums tied for best of 2025, the $900 Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo — which also has a self-emptying dustbin — and the $359 iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus.