This robovac has an arm that can pick up your dirty laundry. Is it possible to pick up the dirty laundry without touching an arm of a robot?
The Verge got a sneak peek at the Saros Z70 in action ahead of its launch at CES 2025 and can confirm the arm works as advertised, although, as mentioned, it’s laboriously slow. During the demo, it took about a minute to pick up and move the socks. It only covers socks, tissues, and small towels that weigh under 300 grams. More items will be added but not an increase in weight capability. The company says that the vacuum will arrive by June 25th.
One intriguing feature Roborock says will come to the Saros Z70 via an OTA upgrade doesn’t involve the arm. The robot can be trained to recognize objects, like a teddy bear or purse, if you use the new navigation and obstacle recognition software, called StarSight. According to Roborock, you’ll be able to use its app to see where the robot last spotted that item, which could be handy for locating lost things.
Any objects it can lift will be marked by the Z70 during its first run. It deploys its arm, and moves items to the place it has already cleaned and cleaned the area that was blocking them. It can be programmed to go out a third time to pick up the items, and put them away in a place you choose, such as a closet or basket.
Yes, this whole process will take a long time. If you are at home, it would be more convenient to pick up the socks yourself. 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
StarSight: Detecting, Navigating, and Adapting Using Machine Learning on the Saros Z70, S20, and SwitchBot S10
StarSight launched on the Qrevo Slim and uses 3D time-of-flight sensors, RGB cameras, and machine learning to navigate and identify obstacles. The Z70 can detect and navigate up to 112 preprogrammed objects using the machine learning. It is using laser-powered obstacle avoidance Technology called VertiBeam which it says can be used to clean around long cables and irregularly shaped walls.
A dual anti-tangle system, an impressive 22,000Pa of vacuum power, and dual spinning mops that lift 2.2 cm can all be found in the Saros Z70.
The Saros Z70 is about 8 cm high, which will allow it to fit under low sofas and has the Adapt Lifting system first seen on the Qrevo Curv. The robot can maneuver over carpets with this help.
The first robot vacuum mops that enabled hands-free draining of its onboard water tanks through a compact battery powered water station was the SwitchBot S10. (It has a separate auto-empty charging dock). While the S20 is compatible with the water station, which doesn’t need an outlet so it has more versatile placement options, the robot comes with the choice of two all-in-one auto-empty base stations: one with a regular water tank you manually refill or one that can hook into your plumbing. The S20 works with other devices like the Evaporative Humidifier and can beprogrammed to refill when it is out of water.
SwitchBot and Saros: Navigating, Avoiding, and Using Smart Home Vacuums with Star Sight 2.0 and Active AI
The main differences between the two are in mopping and navigation tech. The Saros 10R has the same Star Sight 2.0 navigation and obstacle recognition tech, mopping tech, and 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. It has Roborock’s new DuoDivide anti-tangle roller brush, first seen on the Qrevo Curv, and pairs with the company’s new Ultra 2.0 Dock.
Roborock says all three new models will be updated to support Matter 1.4, allowing the vacuums to work with any Matter-enabled smart home platform. It looks like Apple will be bringing support in the upcoming 18.3 edition of the software. The robot are compatible with a bunch of different applications, including the internet, computers, and homes. There is a voice assistant.
Switchbot plans to launch the K20 Plus Pro in May or June 2025 in custom bundled kits for all the various functions — bundling the vacuum with a circulating fan to form the K20 Plus Pro Air Flow Kit, or the K20 Plus Pro Combo with the SwitchBot air purifier to make up the K20 Plus Pro Omni Clean Kit, or combining all of the above for the SwitchBot K20. Plus The Pro Omni Ultimate Kit is an ultimate kit.
SwitchBot: A Low Cost Humanoid Robot at a Three-Dimensional Living Space, with a Robotic Arm Attached
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 stairs, it’ll be fairly limited in my three-story home, but I’m still looking forward to testing it out.
This modular approach seems smart, and while no pricing has been announced, it should keep costs down. Rather than spending years and lots of money developing a humanoid robot to try and mimic human actions, adding mobility to existing devices feels more achievable.
A picture was released by the company that shows a bigger robot with a robotic arm, which says the 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. If that mechanical arm ever comes to fruition, maybe the robot can take over this chore for you, too. That would get it a lot closer to its Rosie aspirations.
The platform has several power ports, but it has a weight limit of just under 18 pounds, so in theory you can plug anything into it. 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 lidar-equipped robot navigates via a map created by the device and can navigate over obstacles and tight spaces.
The robot can do all of these tasks autonomously using automations set up in the SwitchBot app — such as “purifying the air upon entry into a room,” or you can control it using the app or with voice commands through Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri Shortcuts.
