Roborock, a Beijing-based robot vacuum cleaner maker, unveiled a new model in January 2025 with a foldable arm that uses artificial intelligence to remove obstacles.
CNBC | Evelyn Chen
BEIJING – Chinese robot vacuum company Roborock on Monday unveiled a new model with a foldable arm for removing socks and other obstacles. This is a function that utilizes artificial intelligence.
It’s the latest step toward what Roborock President Quan Gan predicts is inevitable: robot vacuums will become as essential as washing machines.
That could happen as early as three years, especially with the advent of AI, Quan told CNBC in an interview in late November. “If the era of AI prosperity really arrives, I am confident that robot vacuum cleaners will be the first category to apply AI,” he said in Mandarin, as translated by CNBC.
The company says the Roborock Saros Z70 uses AI developed by the company to detect and remove obstacles such as socks, small towels, tissues, and sandals that weigh less than 300 grams (10.58 ounces).
The Saros Z70 is expected to go on sale in major markets around the world in the first half of this year, but Roborock has not yet announced pricing. The product announcement comes ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show, which begins in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Since being based in Massachusetts iRobot launched the Roomba floor-cleaning robot in 2002, and the circular machine has evolved to include mopping and automatic return to its charging stand. Many companies are currently selling robot vacuums, including some based in China.
Kuang pointed out that Beijing-based Roborock began selling to the United States in 2018, and sales in the country only started to take off in 2023. Roborock also sells robot vacuums in countries such as Germany, China and South Korea, and Quan said they make sure to comply with local data privacy rules.
However, the penetration rate of robot vacuums remains low, at just over 10% in developed countries and in the single digits in developing countries, Quan said. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for growth, he said, which he hopes will be helped by the integration of artificial intelligence.
Late last year, The Verge and Wired both named various Roborock models the best robot vacuums available. But machines aren’t cheap.
The Verge said that “Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra ($1,799.99) is an extraordinary vacuum cleaner,” and that it is “the best model in the relatively new category of ‘hands-free’ robot vacuums. It puts trash in the trash can, refills the mop tank, and cleans and dries the mop pad.
“Roborock invented the category with the S7 MaxV Ultra and has continued to steadily improve it,” says The Verge.
Wired selected Roborock’s Qrevo S, which sells for $800 on Amazon. This review highlights Qrevo’s LIDAR-based navigation and AI features, which allow the machine to differentiate between carpets and tiles to vacuum or mop, respectively.
Competition is fierce. Two other robot vacuums are in line for the 2025 award: the $900 Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo and the $359 iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus, according to CNET.
AI laboratory support
Shanghai-listed Roborock shares closed 2.6% higher on Friday after reports about the Saros Z70 and its robotic arm emerged. In 2024, it rose by 10.3%.
In the first three quarters of 2024, operating revenue rose 23.2% to 7 billion yuan ($960 million), with profit of 1.47 billion yuan. Roborock does not break down its revenue by region.
According to Mr. Quan, shortly after Roborock was founded in July 2014, the company realized the importance of artificial intelligence and established a dedicated research center in Shanghai and another in Shenzhen. Quan said each location has about 30 researchers, who only need to focus on technology, as opposed to product development teams who have to meet deadlines and consider profits. .
The next challenge is to expand the number of researchers to about 300, Quang said, noting that finding qualified people is difficult.
The company spent 9.1% of its operating revenue on research and development in the first three quarters of 2024, according to calculations published by CNBC. That’s up from just over 7% in each of the past three years, according to the data.
Roborock also announced on Monday an update to its washing machines that can dry clothes in the same unit.
—CNBC’s Sonia Heng contributed to this report.
