This Robot Vacuum Has An Arm That Can Pick Up Your Dirty Laundry: The Saros Z70 has an Arm that can pick up your dirty laundry
The newest flagship robot vacuum has an arm added to it. And this is no tiny appendage like the one the company debuted on its S8 MaxV Ultra at CES last year; it’s an actual articulating robotic arm. The Saros Z70 is a flagship bot that can lift the arm up from the middle to pick up items like socks and tissues on the floor. While it’s mildly terrifying and currently extremely slow — I can certainly see the potential in a robot vacuum that can clean up ahead of itself.
An update to the Saros Z70 that does not involve the arm is one intriguing feature. The robot’s new navigation and obstacle recognition allow you to train the robot to recognize objects, like a favorite teddy bear. You’ll be able to use the app to see where the last spotted item is, which could be handy for locating lost things.
Roborock says that during its first cleaning run, the Z70 will detect and mark any objects it can lift. It then returns to deploy its arm, moving items to the area it has already cleaned and cleaning the areas those items were blocking. Finally, it can be programmed to go out a third time to pick up the items and put them away in a place you designate on the map in Roborock’s app, such as near a closet or in a basket.
The process will take a long time. It would be quicker if you were at home to pick up the socks. But also, it is a robot that picks up socks. We are truly living in the future.
Source: This robovac has an arm that can pick up your dirty laundry
The StarSight 10R and the Saros 10R Upgrades to Roborock: Navigating, Cleaning and Maintaining Robots
StarSight launched on the Qrevo Slim and uses 3D time-of-flight sensors, RGB cameras, and machine learning to navigate and identify obstacles. Roborock said that the Z70 can detect and navigate over 100 preprogrammed objects. There is a new laser- powered obstacle avoidance technology called VertiBeam, used by Roborock to clean around irregularly shaped walls and furniture.
By contrast, the Saros 10 is an upgrade to Roborock’s current flagship model, the S8 MaxV Ultra (our top pick for the best robot vacuum). With 22,000Pa of suction power, it uses the lidar navigation found on most Roborocks but can retract its lidar tower to fit under low spaces, bringing it to the same height as the other two Saros models.
The Saros Z70 is just under 8cm high, which should allow it to get under those low sofas, and has the AdaptLift chassis first seen on the Qrevo Curv. This helps the robot climb high room transitions and maneuver over high-pile carpets.
The Multifunctional Dock 4.0 of the flagship robot pairs to charge, auto-empty, refill and drain its water tanks and to maintain the mops with hot water washing and hot air drying; this model also introduces a 2.5 hour fast-charge feature.
There are differences in mopping and navigation tech. The Saros 10R has the same StarSight 2.0 navigation and obstacle recognition tech, the same mopping tech, and the same dock as the Z70. It has a slightly lower power.
The 10 also comes with an improved version of Roborock’s Reactive AI Obstacle Avoidance (version 3.0) and gets the new VertiBeam cable avoidance tech. The DuoDivide anti-tangle roller brush is first seen on the Qrevo Curv, and is used with the new Ultra 2.0 Dock.
SwitchBot: Bringing a Rosie the Robot Wannabe to CES? A study of the multitasking household robot K20 Plus Pro and S20
The K20 Plus Pro and S20 will work with Matter on Apple Home, Amazon, and any other platform that supports robot vacuums in Matter, according to SwitchBot.
The K20 Plus Pro is going to be available in a variety of different kits, including the K20 Plus Pro Air Flow Kit or the K20 Plus Pro combo. K20. Plus Pro Omni Ultimate Kit.
In use, it will involve more human interaction — you’ll presumably need to remove the air purifier and replace it with the fan when you want to cool off — but it also feels like something people will use in their homes. Without the ability to climb the stairs, it will be limited in my three-storey home, but I am excited to try it out.
TheModular approach seems smart and should keep costs down. It’s not so hard to add mobility to existing devices, rather than spending years and lots of money on a humanoid robot.
A teaser image the company released shows a larger robot with the addition of a robotic arm, with an asterisk saying, “Mechanical arm is still under development.” There’s also the option of a combo base station for the K20 Plus Pro, which adds a stick vac, allowing you to summon the robot and do a quick touch-up with the handheld vac. Maybe the robot can take over this chore if that mechanical arm ever becomes reality. That would get it a lot closer to its Rosie aspirations.
Source: SwitchBot is bringing a Rosie the Robot wannabe to CES
Fusion: A Weight-Limited Robot for Multi-device Devices with USB-C Power Ports and a Robot Navigator
The platform has various power ports, including USB-C, so, in theory, you can plug anything into it — although it has a weight limit of just under 18 pounds (8kg). SwitchBot says the FusionPlatform can work with “custom-made attachments, 3D-printed components, and third-party devices with multiple power ports for speakers, car fridges, or even UV sterilization lamps.”
The robot navigates via a map the lidar-equipped device creates, and SwitchBot claims it has “centimeter-level accuracy in avoiding obstacles and navigating tight spaces” and “moves steadily and effortlessly over everyday barriers.”
The robot can do all of these tasks autonomously with the use of automations in the app, or you can use voice commands through the Amazon voice assistant, for example.