Thursday, 11 January 2024

New robotic arm helps Roborock S8 Max devices clean corners

Smart home technology is always a major part of CES 2024. Just about every tech company tries to demonstrate how its technology can make your life easier or automate unwanted tasks. Embodying this approach, Roborock revealed its latest high-end devices, including the S8 Max range.

Having been around for a while now, robot vacuums are one of the faster-growing segments in smart home technology. It makes sense: cleaning the house isn’t exactly a fun chore, after all. Plus, the technology is constantly improving to the point where you can trust that a robot will get the cleaning done without manual intervention.

As part of its CES announcement, Roborock revealed six devices in total, including the S8 MaxV Ultra and S8 Max Ultra. Accompanying them were the new Q Revo MaxV and Q Revo Pro models, and two hand vacuums: the Flexi Pro and Flexi Lite.

Roborock S8 Max series cranks up the power

Said to be the brand’s most technically advanced cleaning devices, the Roborock S8 Max robots increase the suction power, and add more smarts to improve cleaning ability. In addition to an auto-empty dock that also cleans the devices’ mop pads, the S8 Max series includes a new side brush designed to reach more areas.

This brush uses a robotic arm to reach into hard-to-reach corners. It appears to be Roborock’s response to the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni, which used a squared design to tackle tight corners.

In terms of suction power, the S8 MaxV Ultra maxes out at 10,000Pa, while the Max Ultra reaches 8,000Pa. Both are among the highest-powered robot vacuums available. Other than a higher peak suction power, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra also has video calling functionality and a built-in voice assistant.

One of the more interesting inclusions is that both premium models support a refill and drainage dock. This lets you hook them up directly to your home’s drainage system to empty and refill the dock automatically.

Revo and Flexi ease the cleaning load

Roborock has also added a robotic arm mop to its new Q Revo devices, albeit not as fancy as the one found on the S8 Max series. Both the upcoming Q Revo models handle vacuuming and mopping, with up to 7,000Pa suction power, and auto mop pad washing.

Meanwhile, the Flexi devices are hand wet-dry vacuums that tackle all manner of messes. They reach a 17,000Pa peak suction power along with a design aimed at making it easy to lay flat to reach under furniture. The main difference between the two Flexi models is that the Flexi Pro comes with added automated wheels to make pushing and pulling gentler. Plus, it has dual edge cleaning and more smart features, like app functionality and voice alerts.

Roborock Flexi Pro CES 2024
If you prefer a hand vac, the Flexi Pro is said to make reaching under furniture easier. Image: Roborock.

IDC research indicates that robot vacuum adoption rate will increase more than many other smart home categories over the next few years. It’s expected that 23.2 million robot vacuums will ship worldwide in 2027, up from 17.6 million in 2023.

Not yet confirmed for Australia, more details about the new Roborock S8 Max range will emerge soon. Here, the local range includes the base S8 series and the Q Revo model launched last year.

Read more CES 2024 news on GadgetGuy

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