Finally, there is a standstill with robot vacuums
The steam has run out for Roborock, Dreame, Narwal, and the like. Robot vacuum manufacturers are showing hardly any new features at the IFA tech fair, instead focusing on further developing existing ones. And that is good for you.
It had to happen eventually. In recent years, the major manufacturers of robot vacuums have been launching new devices every six months, equipping them with more and more capabilities. Suddenly, the vacuums could also mop, clean their own mops, detect cables and obstacles, climb over thresholds, and continuously clean brushes and rollers directly inside the robot.
It is clear that this pace of innovation cannot be maintained in the long run. Now, the peak seems to have been reached, and the curve of new features is flattening out. At least that is the impression I am getting at the tech trade fair IFA.
Evolution instead of revolution
None of the manufacturers have equipped their new models with a capability that fundamentally changes anything. Instead, they are improving suction power, obstacle detection, or navigation precision. If there is news, it is mostly extensions of existing features. For example, at Dreame, the roller now not only picks up with warm water but also sprays the floor with steam. Or at DJI, the software that now runs without Wi-Fi and the internet.
Yet, manufacturers have been working on completely new features for years. At IFA, Roborock and Dreame are showing a robot vacuum that can climb stairs. However, this is not a premiere: Dreame had the model there a year ago, and Roborock presented it in January at CES in Las Vegas. The products are obviously not market-ready; both manufacturers have yet to announce a concrete date for the market launch. Perhaps this is due to the costs, or perhaps to the technical complexity. Stairs are built very differently. If the robot fails to climb in some households, it is a disaster. Mocking TikTok fail videos included.
The robot with an arm is struggling
At the fair, Dreame is showing a second concept, also not for the first time. The vacuum has a multifunctional arm that can move objects away, but also vacuum and mop in gaps. Here, too, a lot of development work is clearly still needed. The demo robots at the fair performed the work so slowly and imprecisely that it cannot function like that in real life.
However, for consumers, this stagnation is not a disadvantage at all. On one hand, a lot of FOMO (Fear of missing out) disappears. If new top models do not hit the market twice a year, no one feels that their six-month-old robot is already obsolete. On the other hand, manufacturers are focusing on improving existing features. They are optimizing brushes, mops, and rollers to clean corners and edges perfectly and are improving obstacle detection so that the sensors can recognize even the smallest parts or transparent glass and plastic. In other words, things that make a difference in everyday life and improve cleaning performance.
Gadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
This is a subjective opinion of the editorial team. It doesn't necessarily reflect the position of the company.
Show all
