Roborock showed off a robot vacuum cleaner with a robotic arm at CES.

Roborock has added an arm to its latest flagship robot vacuum cleaner. And this isn’t a small appendage like the one the company debuted with the S8 MaxV Ultra at CES last year. A robotic arm with real joints. The arms rise from the center of Roborock’s latest flagship robot, the Saros Z70, and can extend to pick up items like socks or tissues while mopping the floor. Although it’s a little scary and currently very slow — I can definitely see the potential of a robot vacuum cleaner that can clean itself first.

The Verge A sneak peek at the Saros Z70 in action ahead of its launch at CES 2025 confirmed that the arm works as advertised. Of course, as mentioned before, it is slow. During the demo, it took about a minute to pick up and move each sock along the path. You are also limited to socks, tissues, small towels and sandals weighing less than 300g. Roborock says more items will be added over time, but hasn’t promised an increase in weight capacity. Pricing was not disclosed, but the company said the vacuum would be available by June 2025.

The Saros Z70’s arm is “the first mass-produced foldable robotic arm with five axes,” Roborock says. Called OmniGrip, it can unfold, stretch and twist horizontally and vertically to pick up and move objects. The arm includes a camera and LED lights to help you see objects, and there are sensors to detect the weight of objects and their location. When you raise your arm, it doesn’t hit anything, not even if there’s an object on top of it.

Roborock says that during the first cleaning run, the Z70 will detect and mark any objects it can lift. Then deploy the arm again to move the item into the already cleaned area and clear the area the item was blocking. Finally, a third time, you can program it to go out and pick up items and store them in places you specify on the map in the Roborock app, such as near a closet or in a basket.

Yes, this whole process will take a long time. Yes, it would be faster and quieter to bring your own socks, assuming you are at home. But it’s also a robot that picks up socks! We really live in the future.

Roborock says one of the interesting features coming to the Saros Z70 via an OTA upgrade has nothing to do with arms. Instead, you can take advantage of the robot’s new navigation and obstacle recognition capabilities, called StarSight Autonomous System 2.0, and train the robot to recognize specific objects, like your favorite teddy bear or wallet. According to Roborock, the app can be useful in finding lost items by allowing you to see where the robot last found that item.

StarSight is launched by Qrevo Slim and uses 3D time-of-flight sensors, RGB cameras, and machine learning to navigate and identify obstacles. According to Roborock, AI-powered machine learning allows the Z70 to detect and navigate up to 108 pre-programmed objects. Roborock also says it uses a new laser-powered obstacle avoidance technology called VertiBeam that allows for more accurate cleaning around extended cables and irregularly shaped walls and furniture.

Other features of the Saros Z70 include an impressive 22,000Pa suction power, a dual detangling system for the robot roller brush, and a dual rotating mop that not only lifts 2.2cm to avoid carpeting, but also automatically detaches from the base station when mopping. . You don’t need it.

At less than 8cm tall, the Saros Z70 can fit under a low sofa and features the AdaptLift chassis first seen in the Qrevo Curv. This helps the robot climb high spatial transitions and maneuver over high carpets.

The flagship robot combines with Roborock’s new Multifunction Dock 4.0 to fill, automatically empty, refill and drain the water tank and keep the mop clean with hot water and hot air drying. This model also introduces a 2.5-hour fast charging feature.

Realistically, as cool as the arm is, it’s definitely more of a proof-of-concept product (although Roborock has assured us it will be released this year). So, along with the Saros Z70, Roborock showed off two other flagship robot vacuums at CES. Saros 10R and Saros 10 will be released on February 10th and will be priced at $1,599.99 each. Both feature a similar slimline body as the Z70 and the same AdaptLift chassis, with the mop pad automatically removable when not needed.

The main difference between the two lies in mopping and navigation technology. The Saros 10R features the same StarSight 2.0 navigation and obstacle recognition technology, the same cleaning technology, and the same dock as the Z70. However, the suction power (19,000Pa) is a bit low.

In 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 cleaner). With a suction power of 22,000Pa, it uses the LiDAR navigation found in most Roborocks, but the LiDAR tower can be folded to fit low spaces, making it the same height as the other two Saros models.

Instead of the vibrating mop of the Z70 and 10R, the Saros 10 has a new version of Roborock’s excellent VibraRise mop feature. The product uses a flat mop pad that vibrates at 4,000 times per minute to simulate scrubbing and can now be soaked before removing dried stains.

The 10 also comes with an improved version of Roborock’s Reactive AI obstacle avoidance (version 3.0) and gains new VertiBeam cable avoidance technology. It includes Roborock’s new DuoDivide detangling roller brush, which debuted on the Qrevo Curv, and pairs with the company’s new Ultra 2.0 Dock.

Roborock said all three new models will be updated to support Matter 1.4, allowing the vacuum cleaners to work on Matter-enabled smart home platforms. Apple appears to be supporting iOS 18.3, and Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings already support robot vacuums through Matter. Out of the box, the robot is compatible with Alexa, Siri Shortcuts, Google Home, and Roborock’s own Hey Rocky voice assistant.