As you might expect, Roborock has chosen to integrate this arm, which is unprecedented in the field of domestic robots, into a very high-end model. Its price is commensurate with this, as the Saros Z70 is sold at almost 1,800 euros (for its launch, you can take advantage of a 100 euro discount valid until May 25). The Saros Z70 is a true demonstration of Roborock's technological know-how. In addition to this astonishing arm, it is designed on the same base as the Saros 10R. It is also thin (only 7.98 cm) to pass under many pieces of furniture. It does not use a retractable LiDAR like the Saros 10 that we recently tested, but the StarSight 2.0 navigation system (the brand calls it "solid-state LiDAR"). According to Roborock, this would allow it to understand its environment in 3D, more precisely, to better perceive obstacles, especially small objects, and to manage them with greater responsiveness. It also benefits from an all-in-one station identical to that of the Saros 10R, which washes the mop pads and self-cleans with hot water (80°C).
A unique robotic gripper
All eyes are on this famous "five-axis robotic arm" called OmniGrip. It's the highlight of the show, and that's where we'll start our test report. When not in use, the arm is folded into the chassis. It's already a feat in itself to have managed to fit it into the chassis of a robot vacuum cleaner, let alone a slimmer-than-average model. This robotic arm is articulated in all directions. It unfolds up/down, forward/backward, and pivots sideways. It is extended by a gripper that itself moves independently and can clamp objects to "hold" them. It should be noted that for safety reasons, Roborock has planned to ensure that the pressure applied is moderate. In addition, if necessary, an emergency stop button is present on the top of the robot; the icon it carries lights up red as soon as the arm is active so that it cannot be missed. In addition to the robot, the gripper itself is equipped with its own camera to facilitate the gripping of objects. Note that for now, this functionality is only in its infancy. As it stands, the Saros Z70 can only pick up light objects weighing less than 300 grams, and of certain types—primarily certain shoes, socks, tissues, napkins, and crumpled paper. Roborock indicates that more will be added regularly.
The manufacturer has gone a little further than simply picking up objects. The robot is said to be able to sort them, organize them, and clear the floor to clean even in places where things have been left lying around. To do this, the application offers several options, which can be configured in the application. The first: the robot moves the objects to an area that has already been cleaned before moving on to the location of the annoying obstacle—this is the "cleaning tracking" option. The second choice: sorting, which can be automatic or manual. If it is automatic, the robot marks the objects it has identified as "pickable" and then sorts them (in addition to the icon corresponding to the object on the map, a gripper logo appears). It then moves the fabrics and papers into the provided storage box and the shoes into a dedicated area predefined via the app. If sorting is manual, among the identified objects, it is up to the user to point out those they want to see collected. Last option: remote control. To use it, you must activate the camera then direct the robot from the app using what looks like a virtual joystick. Once the object is in sight, again, there are several options: indicate the targeted object and let the robot pick it up automatically or a completely manual pick-up (in which case, you control each movement of the arm, as well as the opening and closing of the gripper). It's fun, but if the goal is to save time, we'll choose another option.
Very impressive, but not fully developed or really useful
We're not going to lie to you: as a fan of new technologies, the first time the Saros Z70 extended its arm in our entryway to pick up our socks, it made our eyes light up. Technologically, it's truly amazing. The first remote control attempts were also quite entertaining. But with a little hindsight, we quickly realize that at the time of our test, the device wasn't perfectly developed. Moreover, at this stage of development, it's more of a technological showcase—and typically the kind of feature we're going to show off to impress our friends—than a useful feature that can be used on a daily basis. We'll explain why.
To begin, you need to place storage areas on the map in the application: one for shoes (on the ground), the other is a box provided with the Saros Z70, in which it will place all objects other than shoes. While the application is so intuitive when it comes to customizing the map, for this specific point, we had to fumble around. For the storage box to be automatically recognized, you must first have activated the remote display (which uses the robot's camera). When we set it up, the app wasn't at all explicit on this point – it was specified in a "test protocol" sent to the press by the brand.
Then, there are a number of limitations for the moment. As a reminder, at the time this robot was launched on the market, its arm could only pick up a few categories of objects, which also had to be light. And it also isn't able to pick up things on rugs and carpets, or near furniture or a wall - the object must be away from edges.
Furthermore, and this is probably the biggest drawback, object identification is far from perfect. During our last tests of the brand's robot vacuum cleaners, we had already noticed that objects were not always correctly identified. However, the proper functioning of the sorting depends on this. Worse: the same object placed in the same place can be correctly recognized during one cycle but not the next time. For example, when the Z70 mistook our flip-flops for cables, whether we opted for automatic or manual sorting, it was impossible to get it to pick them up since this is not one of the objects that the gripper is authorized to grasp. We also had a lot of trouble getting it to put away the two flip-flops in succession because it almost never identified them both. The same goes for sneakers mistaken for a tote bag or socks sometimes mistaken for threads... Conversely, it sometimes tried to pick up an object when it shouldn't have, for example dragging a Spanish broom around the house.
We also noticed a number of failures, even when the object had been correctly identified. On several occasions, the robot left the station to sort and then immediately returned, announcing "sorting finished". Several times, it also circled frantically for long seconds around an object before declaring "sorting failure" and returning to its station.
And when the collection works, it takes a certain amount of time (grasping the object, unfolding the arm, grasping it, putting it away or moving it, folding the arm, etc.). Roborock dreams of a robot that can also be a "home helper, companion, and assistant," but as things stand, we're not there yet.
Autonomous and intelligent, but not thoughtful enough
It's unfortunate that these identification errors sometimes lead to inaccuracies in cleaning, for example when the Saros Z70 mistakes our cat's bowls for a plastic bag and keeps its distance to avoid getting tangled up in them. But at the same time, we can be pleased that the Z70 almost never gets stuck on an obstacle. The only ones you need to keep out of its reach are electrical cables. Because its behavior towards them isn't consistent. Indeed, it sees cables hanging from electrical outlets or along walls quite well and almost systematically avoids them. Avoiding lateral objects (including cables) is precisely one of the promises of the StarSight 2.0 navigation system. On the other hand, the robot should also be able to move along them when they are unrolled on the floor. However, in this configuration, it's more random. The Z70 got tangled up several times in our smartphone chargers lying on the floor, right in the middle of a room. This actually made us angry because it saw and identified them, avoided them the first time, which didn't stop it from insisting and during the same cycle, rolling over them and then getting tangled up in them. From this point of view, the Dreame X50 is much more consistent and in some ways more intelligent: once a cable is spotted during a cycle, it's there for good.
As announced, the StarSight 2.0 navigation system does indeed allow the Z70 to see smaller objects like our cat's toys, but not all of them. Without explanation, it sees some but not others, even though they are the same size and more colorful... For now, this new navigation system doesn't change much in the robot's performance or its ability to move intelligently around the home. But developments are planned – so keep an eye on them.
True to its promise, the Z70 now fits under certain low furniture like our bookcase. But like all the others, it's a little hesitant to fit completely under our sofa. Regarding busy areas like chair and table legs, the robot cleans around them carefully and smoothly – this was already one of its predecessors' skills.
After performing the quick mapping (done in less than 10 minutes), the Saros Z70 gives us a map with a really relevant room breakdown and even some room name suggestions. From the first cycles, it begins to identify certain pieces of furniture and most floor coverings quite effectively. It's a shame, however, that when you place objects and remove them, it doesn't always realize it. For example, when we place our test mat in the entrance hall, it immediately identifies its position and indicates it on the map - it places not only a mat but also thresholds, the mat being visibly a little thick for its liking. But if during the next cycle we remove it, it "believes" that it is still there: it lifts its chassis in the same way and does not clean in this location. On the contrary, while it has recognized and placed on the map the "bowls" of our cats, when we activate the intensive cleaning function around the pet items, it considers that there are none (you have to manually indicate them on the map).
In short, this is a robot that proves intelligent enough to move around a home autonomously, adapting to the majority of obstacles. But at this price point, we can afford to be demanding and we would therefore like it to be a little more intelligent in its understanding of the environment.
Powerful and efficient suction
The Saros Z70 boasts a power of 22,000 Pa, like the Saros 10. On hard floors, it makes short work of waste, whether it's dust, pet hair, hair, small pieces of kibble, or litter. When there's a lot of litter on the floor, a few grains may be missed. This is due to the rotation of the brush, which scatters some. This has nothing to do with suction power, especially since the (beta) heavy dirt detection function for deeper cleaning works very well—note, however, that it's only available in SmartPlan mode. A good reason to choose it, as it could have left us perplexed in the past. Especially since we can now see what the robot is doing in real time as well as after cleaning, in the history: each step of the cycle is listed. "Abundant dirt recognition" is one of them.
Regarding the suction function, we noticed that the extension of the side brush (FlexiArm Design), which is done more in front of the robot, only makes it gain a few millimeters on the side. It doesn't perfectly reach all edges, corners, or under furniture (under doors or appliances, for example).
On carpets and rugs, you can activate an automatic boost function, which provides excellent results. On these surfaces, the Z70 leaves nothing behind either. Although it sometimes had trouble getting onto our test carpet, which surprised us. But every time it was able to get onto it, it left it spotless. Another good point: the Saros Z70 can leave its pads in its base to clean rugs and carpets without the risk of getting them wet or dirty (like the Saros 10 does with its large mop).
Effective floor cleaning for everyday dirt
In terms of cleaning, we find the same functions as those of the Saros 10, including automatic detergent distribution, with one exception: the Z70 is not equipped with a vibrating mop but with two rotating pads. The advantage is that when you use the washing function alone, it is perfectly silent, which is not the case with the vibrating mop. In addition, the extendable right pad (FlexiArm) ensures much more convincing cleaning of edges and corners. On the other hand, the washing is a little less effective. This is enough to remove everyday dirt like splashes in the kitchen or footprints in the entryway. On the other hand, for stubborn stains, we had to run three successive cycles to almost completely remove traces of dried ketchup, opting for the deep+ route and the maximum water level. And even then, the pads had left some marks visible against the light and under the soles, we could feel the floor still greasy and sticky. In addition, unlike the waste detection which worked very well, the Z70 was unable to see that there were still stains. However, we did activate the mop rewash function, but it didn't convince us.
An all-in-one base that really reduces maintenance
Unsurprisingly, the multifunction station that comes with the Z70 is inherited from the most high-end models – it empties the dust into a bag, automatically dispenses detergent and clean water, cleans the mops, and collects the dirty water. In this case, it's exactly the same as the one on the Saros 10R, which cleans the mop pads with hot water at 80°C and self-cleans in the process. During our test of the Saros 10, we noticed that the station still required maintenance, particularly its wash board. The one on the Saros Z70 is designed differently (due to its pads replacing the mop) and gets much less dirty. During a little over two weeks of testing, we didn't need to clean the pads, which remained spotless, nor did we need to clean the station. Another good point is the main anti-tangle brush (FreeFlow), which is equipped with a sort of small, very effective comb. In fact, during our tests, neither pet hair nor our long hair got tangled in it.
The Roborock Saros Z70 is available at a price of 1799 euros (1699 euros at its launch).
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