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Roborock Saros Z70 Is Here To Grab Shoes, Socks, Your Wallet

Saros Z70 sports a robotic arm for tidying up Roborock With the launch of the Saros Z70, Roborock's roll out of its robovac evolution is complete. It started back in January with the Saros 10R, which introduced a slimmer, more powerful vacuum that didn't rely on a radar hump. The Saros 10 came after that, a less expensive model that has the ability to lower its LIDAR tower to achieve a similar thin profile when needed. Now the slim profile and StarSight Autonomous System 2.0 are back in the Saros Z70, but with the addition of one very important feature. Yes, your vacuum now has a robot arm. The "Omnigrip Mechanical Arm" is a five-axis robotic arm that folds away into the vacuum when not in use. It can deploy the arm to pick up light obstacles (300g or around 10 oz.) and organize shoes. It can also use the camera in the arm to patrol your home and seek out and monitor pets. The gripper of the arm is surprisingly nimble. I was able to remotely direct it to pick up and carry a slipper back to my closet. I also saw it grabbing sandals around the house…usually on the first try. The operation is fairly plodding but then this is a tiny robot arm packed into a vacuum, speed isn't the main feature. At launch, the Omnigrip arm is an interesting, but not exactly a revolutionary leap. Mostly, the Saros Z70 does what all Roborock vacuums do—it uses its 22,000 Pa suction power and dual-mopping pads to clean your floor. Then, every once in a while, it will deploy the arm to move a shoe or maybe a sock. I say maybe because Roborock has admitted that socks on carpet are extremely difficult to recognize. So difficult, in fact, that they list it as a limitation they won't be trying to overcome. Matic is the only company I know of that's actively tackling this problem and they're only able to do it because they have a wildly different tech stack (but more on them next week). Arm stowed Roborock So socks on carpeting will still likely be avoided entirely instead of being picked up (which is still better than being sucked up and clogging the robovac). However, socks on hard floors the Z70 can identify. I heard the distinctive whirring of the arm operating in my daughter's room, the place where many a robovac is defeated, and was delighted to find the Z70 was busy lifting a balled-up sock out of its way and placing it behind it so it could continue cleaning. As the Z70 got familiar with my home, I started to notice evidence of its tidying all over. Cat toys had been shifted, shoes had been moved to a new spot (though not the spot I'd designated on the map for shoes). While the Omnigrip arm might be used sparingly, the bot puts it to good use, making sure it has a clear path to accomplish its main task, cleaning your floors. Roborock is aware of the limitations of the Z70's Omnigrip arm at launch and is working to improve its utility over the next couple of months. Over the summer the company is adding support for things like sneakers, optimizing sorting routines, and giving users more control over the types of obstacles to identify. In addition to the arm, the Roborock Z70 comes with everything you'd expect from a flagship robovac model. It has more suction than the similarly outfitted Saros 10R, dual mopping pads, a tangle-free roller and side brush, and the ability to lift and boost itself over thresholds. As I mentioned at the top, the Z70 uses Roborock's latest AI algorithm and advanced visual sensors so that it can easily avoid common household obstacles, including things like bundled cords. By ditching LIDAR, the Z70 has an extremely slim profile as well. Able to reach places other bots can't Roborock The app continues to improve as well, using AI pathing to determine the most logical cleaning plans, automatically increasing or decreasing suction and water volume depending on floor type, and automatically washing the mops after it cleans high-dirt areas like bathrooms and kitchens. The app is also where you can remotely control the bot and use the Call & Cruise function for checking on your pet. A fully functional dock is part of the Z70 package Roborock It comes with the latest Multifunctional Dock that adds fast charging, hot mop washing, auto-emptying, and enables the robot to leave the mops behind so as to avoid cross-contamination. Altogether, it makes the Saros Z70 the most advanced robovac the company has produced. But that arm is going to cost you. The Saros Z70 costs $1,000 more than the similar, non-armed Saros 10R. At $2,599, it's one of the most expensive robot vacuums on the market. While it may not achieve the dream of a robotic butler, the Z70 does put its arm to good use and Roborock has dedicated itself to improving functionality over time. You can find out more on the Roborock site.