Roomba that climbs stairs? Rival takes big step closer to robot vacuum cleaners that clean your WHOLE house
There’s already a decent list of things that autonomous vacuum cleaners, like those from iRobot — the Massachusetts-based brand behind the best-selling Roomba robotic cleaners — can do. These useful ‘bots can navigate around the obstacles in your home to vacuum and mop on a regular schedule. You can also use a voice command to start a thorough clean of specific rooms, or every corner of your home.
But like the Darleks, the infamous baddies from BBC’s Doctor Who, these self-steering gadgets have always been scuppered by stairs and therefore restricted to a single floor. However, that could be about to change…
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One of iRobot’s biggest challengers, Roborock, has offered a glimpse at its latest innovation that could revolutionise the robot vacuum industry. Dubbed the AdaptiLift Chassis system, this redesign allows new vacuum cleaners from the Chinese brand to navigate itself over small ledges and thresholds up to four-centimetres tall. That might not sound like a lot …but it’s a big step forward for these low-profile gadgets.
The latest innovation was unveiled at IFA 2024, Europe’s largest consumer technology show, and brings the possibility of stair-climbing robot vacuums tantalizingly close.
While Roomba is the brand name most closely associated with these self-steering robot vacuum cleaners, it has a number of competitors, like Eufy, and of course, Roborock.
The latter was celebrating its 10th anniversary at the showcase in Germany and introduced two new gadgets with the clever AdaptiLift Chassis system: the Qrevo Curv and Qrevo Edge.
It works anywhere on the robot — lifting the front, rear, left or right to clear obstacles, such sled-leg tables, prominent thresholds, or particular thick carpets that would otherwise stump a robot vacuum. When this happens, these ‘bots ping your smartphone with a notification, telling you to find it and dislodge it so that it can continue cleaning.
Both Qrevo Curv and Qrevo Edge models boast an impressive 18,500Pa of suction power, a significant increase from previous models and bringing these autonomous robots closer to what you’d expect from a typical household vacuum cleaner.
Both of the ‘bots also feature a new Dual Anti-Tangle System, that’s designed to prevent hairs locking-up the rollers. Unfortunately, this clever AdaptiLift Chassis design and powerful suction doesn’t come cheap, with the Qrevo Curv starting from €1,499.99.
That’s roughly £1,265 converted, although UK pricing has not yet been confirmed.
While Roborock unveils its latest innovations, iRobot, the maker of Roomba, has launched its final summer sale. Discounts of up to £500 are available on select Roomba models until September 16.
The sale includes the Roomba Combo Essential, a 2-in-1 vacuum and mop, now priced at £169, down from £269. This model offers three suction levels and three water output settings for mopping.
For those seeking more advanced features, the Roomba j9+ Robot Vacuum and Mop is reduced from £1,249 to £749. It boasts AI-powered cleaning prioritisation and a self-emptying dock.