The new Roborock promises to solve the most annoying robot vacuum issue by removing objects – but is its advanced AI arm a gimmick?

After collectively spending 1,000+ hours testing robot vacuums at Homes & Gardens, one thing has become clear: robot vacuums need a clutter-free floor.

This often means spending more time than you usually would to make sure your robot helper isn't coming into contact with any socks, shoes, or cables. Even the best robot vacuums can't do everything.

Until now. The Roborock Saros Z70 is the first consumer robot vacuum that features a mechanical arm to pick up small objects. It's a potential game-changer in the world of smart, hands-free cleaners, but is it science fiction come to life for real, or just an expensive gimmick?

What the Roborock Saros Z70 can do

The Roborock Saros Z70 has a five-axis mechanical arm that can pick up small objects weighing up to 300g / 10.6oz and move them out of the way for uninterrupted floor cleaning.

It uses a camera, precision sensors, and an LED light to determine its position and the weight of each object.

Recently, researchers programmed a robot vacuum to do basic household tasks, and there's even a Dreame robot vacuum that can lift itself over steps, but these don't come close to the Roborock Saros Z70's functionality to actually interact with your space.

It's incredibly impressive technology, and a first of its kind in the consumer market. Thanks to its AI software, it can identify and label up to 50 new objects and return each object to its rightful place.

So the new Roborock could potentially pick up rogue sandals and return them to your entryway, or move socks to the laundry basket – which might just be the best new laundry hack to save time.

'The Roborock Saros Z70 introduces a meaningful advancement in home robotics with the integration of the OmniGrip, a robotic arm capable of identifying and removing obstacles such as socks, towels, and small toys,' shares Quan Gang, president of Roborock.

'By addressing one of the most persistent challenges in autonomous cleaning, navigating cluttered environments, it shifts expectations around what robotic vacuums can do,' he adds.

The robot's environment sensors influence how it cleans, too. 'The Saros Z70 relies on the Starsight Autonomous System,' Quan explains, 'which uses AI to recognize 108 common household items. This allows the robot to determine whether it should vacuum, mop, or avoid an object altogether.'

And if you're looking for the best robot vacuum for pet hair, the Saros Z70 avoids picking up unintended items such as pet messes or glasses. It's programmed to only engage with items it has been explicitly programmed to handle.

Outside of this new exciting technology, the robot boasts some strong performance specifications. It has 22,000Pa suction, which is higher than almost every robot vacuum out there, and certainly higher than the eufy S1 Pro Omni's 8,000Pa, which is our best-on-test robot vacuum.

Is it a gimmick?

We find that an unexpected benefit of owning a robot vacuum is forcing us to declutter our floors more often. As robot vacuums must maneuver around small objects, it internalized a routine of doing a quick pass of the floors to pick up anything that might get in the way.

But now that the robot can do it for you, would this reduce how much we care about tidiness? Leon Huang, CEO of RapidDirect, a global manufacturer of custom components for robotics, smart home systems, and autonomous devices, shares this sentiment.

'It's definitely an advancement – but one that needs to complement, not replace, human cleaning habits. It’s about convenience, not delegation,' he warns. He continues that it's better to use these smart home cleaning tools to save time, rather than offload hygiene to them.

And considering its $2,599 price point, it needs to be able to complete these tasks well. 'Industrial robots have done this for decades. But as a home robot, success will depend on the accuracy of the Z70's sensors to determine object type, weight, and shape, and how quickly it can adjust in real time,' says Quan.

Hrishikesh Tawade, a robotics engineer at Ample who works on robot vacuums and their perception systems, shares this concern around efficiency. 'It can take about a minute to pick up just a single sock and put it in a bin. So a cluttered room could turn a 40-minute clean into a multi-hour affair,' he explains.

Obstacles are one of the main reasons why your robot vacuum gets stuck, but if it is now tasked with removing them each time, this could make the process of cleaning your floors even longer.

Regardless, it's exciting to imagine what this could hold for the future of home robot helpers. 'Whether or not the Z70 is the model to buy, its very existence signals that mainstream home robots are shifting from simple avoidance to active manipulation,' shares Hrishikesh.

Leon agrees, adding, 'If done right, this is far from a gimmick. The ability to pick up clutter before vacuuming means the Z70 could handle a full floor clean, start to finish. That’s a big deal in terms of real autonomy.' It's shaping up to be one of the best decluttering methods for our floors.

Personally, as somebody who tests and reviews vacuum cleaners daily, I'm hugely impressed by Roborock's innovation. Even if it isn't the fastest yet, this technological advancement will improve chore time management, particularly as a robot vacuum can run while you're asleep or out of the house.

'Looking forward, this development opens the door to a new class of service robotics in the home, robots that don’t just clean, but interact with their surroundings in nuanced, context-aware ways,' shares Quan Gang.

'It’s a foundational step toward autonomous systems that can manipulate objects safely, make decisions with discernment, and operate collaboratively in dynamic domestic spaces.'

What to shop

Intrigued? Here's what you can buy right now to automate a large portion of your floor cleaning.

Meet the experts

Quan Gang

With over 20 years of experience leading hardware development, Quan Gang joined Roborock in 2016, and has since held multiple positions, including leading the team that developed Roborock’s first robot vacuum and mop system.

Hrishikesh Tawade

Hrishikesh Tawade is a robotics and computer vision specialist who currently leads multi-robot coordination and battery-swapping automation teams at Ample and has previously worked for a LiDAR-focused venture, one of the key engineering features of robot vacuums.

Next, browse through our tested picks of the best vacuums for pet hair, or learn why having two vacuums is better than one.