Robot vacuums can clean up dust and dirt on the floor, but you still have to pick up socks and any objects scattered around the house. Now, Roborock, a Chinese company that makes robot vacuums and other household cleaning appliances, has introduced a new model that can pick up small items so you don’t have to. The Roborock Saros Z70 has folding robotic arms that the company calls “OmniGrip.” It has five axes and can pick up objects weighing up to 300 grams, such as socks, lightweight sandals, and small dog toys to put them away.
Apparently, the AI vacuum cleaner marks the items it can pick up as it cleans the floor and then goes back to pick them up when it’s done. During the second pass, it cleans the areas under the objects. The OmniGrip uses high-precision sensors, a camera, and LED lighting to determine its position and whether an object is too heavy to pick up. Before you can use the manipulator, you need to activate it through the Roborock app, where you can also specify which objects it can interact with and where they should be placed. Although Saros Z70 is not quite a Rosie the Riveter, it has the potential to make cleaning much easier. And it’s not just a prototype – Roborock plans to make it available for purchase this year.
In addition to Saros 270, Roborock has also released two other robot vacuums, a line of handheld vacuums for dry and wet cleaning, and three all-in-one washers and dryers. The company will be showcasing its home cleaning products at CES this year.
