Roborock’s new flagship robot vacuum has an arm that can pick up small objects

Robotic vacuum cleaners can remove dust and dirt on the floor, but you’ll still have to pick up stray socks and anything scattered around your house. now RoborockA Chinese company that makes robotic vacuum cleaners and other household cleaning devices has unveiled a new model that can pick up small items so you don’t have to. The Roborock Saros Z70 has foldable robotic arms that the company calls “OmniGrip.” It has five axes and can lift items weighing less than 300 grams such as socks, light sandals and small dog toys to put them away.

The AI-powered vacuum apparently identifies objects it can lift while it’s cleaning the floor and then spins back to pick them up when it’s done. It then cleans the areas underneath the objects during the second pass. The OmniGrip uses micro-equipped sensors, a camera and an LED light to determine its position and whether an item is too heavy to pick up. Before you can use it, you’ll have to activate the arm through the Roborock app, where you can also set what type of objects it can interact with and where they should be placed. Although it’s not quite Rosey the Robot, the Saros Z70 has the potential to make tidying up a lot easier. And it’s not just a prototype, as Roborock plans to make it available for purchase this year.

In addition to the Saros 270, Roborock has also launched two additional robot vacuums, a range of handheld vacuums, as well as three all-in-one washers and dryers. Home cleaning products will be on display at CES this year.