An AI-powered arm model is unveiled by a Chinese robot vacuum cleaner company.

• On Monday, Roborock unveiled a new model featuring an AI-powered folding arm.
• The Roborock Saros Z70, equipped with AI technology, can identify and eliminate objects weighing less than 300 grams, including socks, small towels, tissues, and sandals, according to the company.
• Robot vacuum cleaners are becoming increasingly important, as predicted by Roborock President Quan Gang.

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On Monday, Roborock unveiled a new vacuum cleaner model with an AI-powered folding arm for removing socks and other obstacles.

Robot vacuum cleaners are becoming increasingly important, as predicted by Roborock President Quan Gang.

In three years, the emergence of AI could lead to the first application of AI in the category of robot vacuum cleaners, according to Quan, who stated this in a late November interview with CNBC.

The Roborock Saros Z70, equipped with AI technology, can identify and eliminate objects weighing less than 300 grams, including socks, small towels, tissues, and sandals, according to the company.

The Saros Z70 is set for release in major global markets in the first half of the year, but Roborock has not yet announced pricing. The product reveal precedes the Consumer Electronics Show, which begins on Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Since its launch in 2002, the Roomba floor vacuuming robot from Massachusetts-based has evolved to include mopping and the ability to automatically return to the charging base. Now, many companies, including those based in China, sell robot vacuum cleaners.

Roborock, a Beijing-based company, began selling its robot vacuums in the U.S. in 2018. However, sales in the country did not start to pick up until 2023, according to Quan. In addition to the U.S., Roborock also sells its products in Germany, China, and South Korea, and ensures compliance with local data privacy rules.

Although robot vacuum penetration rates are low, with rates of just over 10% in developed countries and single digits in developing countries, Quan believes this presents both a challenge and an opportunity for growth, which he expects can be enhanced through the integration of artificial intelligence.

Last year, both The Verge and Wired named different Roborock models as the top robot vacuum. However, these machines don't come cheap.

"The Verge praised Roborock's S8 MaxV Ultra ($1,799.99) as the top model in the "hands-free" robot vacuum category, which includes bots that can empty their bins, refill their mop tanks, and clean and dry their mop pads."

The Verge reported that Roborock created this category with the S7 MaxV Ultra and has been making continuous improvements.

The Qrevo S, priced at $800 on Amazon, was chosen by Wired for its lidar-based navigation and AI capabilities that allow the machine to differentiate between carpets and tiles for vacuuming or mopping.

Two other companies' robot vacuums, the $900 Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo and the $359 iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus, were named best of 2025 by CNET.

Supporting an AI research lab

The stock of Roborock, listed in Shanghai, rose 2.6% on Friday following news of the Saros Z70 and its robotic arm. In 2024, the stock experienced a 10.3% increase.

Roborock's operating revenue increased by 23.2% to 7 billion yuan ($960 million) in the first three quarters of 2024, resulting in a profit of 1.47 billion yuan. The company does not provide revenue breakdown by region.

Soon after Roborock's founding in July 2014, the company recognized the significance of artificial intelligence and established a dedicated lab in Shanghai and a research institute in Shenzhen. Each location houses approximately 30 researchers, who solely concentrate on technology, in contrast to the product development team that must adhere to deadlines and prioritize profit, Quan stated.

Quan stated that expanding the number of researchers to around 300 people has been challenging due to the difficulty in finding qualified talent.

In the first three quarters of 2024, the company spent 9.1% of its operating revenue on research and development, an increase from 7% in each of the past three years, according to CNBC calculations of public figures.

On Monday, Roborock unveiled updates to its washing machines that allow for simultaneous drying of clothes within the same unit.

— CNBC's Sonia Heng contributed to this report.