I Tested The Viral Roborock Vacuum With A Mechanical Arm For A Month - Here's My Verdict

2 days ago

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

The Roborock Saros Z70 is now disposable for acquisition for $2,599.
The Saros Z70 is nan first robot vacuum pinch a mechanical limb to assistance lightweight objects and cleanable those missed areas
This robot vacuum performs impressively well, but you tin expect immoderate bugs pinch nan OmniGrip mechanical limb function.

I've spent nan past fewer years of my life turning my location into nan closest type of nan Jetsons' location that I tin get, bypassing nan midcentury decor and flying cars.

While I'm pleased to study that galore of nan predictions made by nan 1960s sitcom person materialized complete nan decades, galore stay unrealized. The biggest one? Rosie nan Robot.

Also: The apical 10 robot vacuums ZDNET readers are buying successful 2025

Thankfully, galore companies are rallying down nan effort to create a family adjunct robot. However, aft being fortunate capable to trial nan Roborock Saros Z70 pinch a mechanical arm, I judge Roborock has a definite separator connected nan competition.

While different companies person created different kinds of family robots, nan Saros Z70 is simply a multifunctional robot that could beryllium a stepping chromatic to nan early of smart homes.

Roborock Saros Z70 robot vacuum mop mechanical arm

The Roborock Saros Z70 is simply a premium robot vacuum and mop pinch each nan bells and whistles you'd expect from a flagship, positive a mechanical limb to prime up objects. And I can't dive into a reappraisal of this merchandise without instantly focusing connected this robotic grip.

When nan robot vacuum is cleaning, it detects mini obstacles it tin grip and picks them up. The robot past navigates to a predetermined area to driblet disconnected nan item. Then, nan instrumentality returns to nan spot nan entity occupied and resumes cleaning nan area.

The Saros Z70 comes pinch a Roborock bin that you tin spot successful your location for your robot to driblet soft items into. It's a rigid cardboard bin that looks for illustration a mini trash bin you'd spot nether a table aliases successful a bathroom.

After your robot creates a virtual representation of your home, you spot nan bin and you adhd it to nan representation successful nan Roborock mobile app. You tin besides adhd a larger area for your robot to driblet disconnected different items, for illustration slippers and ray shoes.

The biggest question, of course, is: does nan mechanical limb activity arsenic intended? After testing it successful my home, I'm pleased to study that it does -- astatine slightest nan immense mostly of nan time.

Also: I invested successful this 3-in-1 robot vacuum, and it's paying disconnected for my home

To trial nan OmniGrip mechanical arm, I group retired 10 obstacles astir nan location respective times and ran afloat cleanings. I besides did smaller area cleanings pinch less objects. The robot vacuum sees nan entity and gives a sound punctual to denote it's going to benignant an item. It deploys nan mechanical limb and lines itself up to prime up nan item.

Once nan limb grips nan item, nan robot travels to driblet it off. It lines itself up pinch nan bin aliases designated sorting area and releases nan object, past retracts nan arm.

Also: My picks for nan champion robot vacuums for pet hairsbreadth of 2025: Roomba, Eufy, Ecovacs, and more

In my tests, nan Roborock mechanical limb picked up nan intended objects 83% of nan time. This is simply a awesome number for a robot that is efficaciously introducing this type of exertion to nan market. It's besides a awesome number erstwhile you see that nan robot's first rollout has a very constricted number of items it tin admit and prime up.

Roborock says nan Saros Z70 presently recognizes socks, sandals, crumpled tissues, and towels nether 300g (about 8 ounces), and that caller sortable objects will beryllium added continuously via firmware updates. When I only utilized nan recognizable objects, nan robot gripped and relocated 90% of nan items.

When I added different mini obstacles, for illustration shoes, mini cups, and integrative film, it gripped 75% of nan objects.

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As a robot vacuum and mop, nan Roborock Saros Z70's capacity is outstanding -- I person zero qualms pinch it. It is 1 of nan best robot vacuum and mop combos I've ever tested. It has nan champion obstacle avoidance characteristic I've seen frankincense far, truthful it doesn't get stuck connected random objects, and it has an extendable mop pad to cleanable adjacent edges.

The robot besides cleans rather thoroughly, overmuch for illustration nan Saros 10 and Saros 10R, truthful you tin count connected it reaching beautiful overmuch each ft of your home.

I did brushwood immoderate bugs pinch nan robot's OmniGrip performance, but I can't responsibility Roborock for them. Aside from nan truth that nary robot vacuum is cleanable (and this 1 astir is), these bugs tin beryllium attributed to nan truth that this is really caller technology.

Some bugs included nan robot only vacuuming and "forgetting" to resume mopping aft dropping disconnected an object, and dropping objects that were difficult to grip, for illustration kids' h2o shoes.

ZDNET's buying advice

The Roborock Saros Z70 isn't nan correct robot vacuum for astir shoppers. Instead, this robot vacuum and mop is cleanable for early adopters who bask testing nan newest cutting-edge technologies. As nan first robot vacuum pinch a mechanical limb to beryllium wide disposable connected nan market, you tin expect to brushwood bugs pinch nan Saros Z70 -- it's only natural.

Also: This robot vacuum mightiness beryllium amended astatine cleaning than maine - and I'm a neat freak

Even so, I was thoroughly impressed pinch nan robot's cleaning capacity and nan OmniGrip technology. I was besides impressed pinch Roborock's accelerated and wide motorboat of this robot aft announcing it precocious past year. The Roborock Saros Z70 is nan adjacent level successful robot vacuum technology, and it's pioneering nan thought of a functional, multipurpose family robot that you tin genuinely trust on.

However, it is rather expensive. The Saros Z70 will vacuum and mop for illustration nan champion robot vacuums connected nan market. But you must beryllium alert that you're not paying for a robot vacuum alone; you're paying for nan invention of having a future-forward robot successful your home.

The caller US tariffs connected imports from countries for illustration China, Vietnam, and India purpose to boost home manufacturing but are apt to thrust up prices connected user electronics. Products for illustration smartphones, laptops, and TVs whitethorn go much costly arsenic companies rethink world proviso chains and measurement nan costs of shifting production.

CNET: Tariff Pricing Tracker: We're Watching 11 Products You Might Need to Buy

Consumers whitethorn besides acquisition notable value increases connected robot vacuums and smart location products. Manufacturers are exploring options specified arsenic relocating accumulation to countries pinch little tariffs, but specified transitions are analyzable and whitethorn not supply contiguous relief. In nan short term, shoppers should expect higher costs for robot vacuums owed to these waste and acquisition policies.