The Roborock Saros Z70, with its robotic arm, seems to be all the pieces I would need in a robotic vacuum. It was our Better of CES decide, chosen unanimously by CNET’s crew of residence editors. The robotic does greater than merely navigate round obstacles; it could possibly attain out and bodily transfer gadgets, together with socks, footwear and finally different objects, to a chosen location or basket.
Nonetheless, at $1,899, you may additionally pay a fairly penny. The Saros Z70 is the costliest robotic vacuum available on the market at launch. But when, like me, you’ve gotten cats that go away toys in all places (or children that do the identical), you are doubtless already imagining how helpful the Saros Z70 shall be in choosing up muddle in your own home. One among my largest ache factors in retaining issues clear is spending time decluttering earlier than I can bust out my cordless vacuum. Having a robotic do it for me can be an enormous time saver.
The Saros Z70 can deal with objects as much as 300 grams.
The excellent news is that after spending 3 hours on a Wednesday afternoon with the Saros Z70, I am right here to let you know that the robotic arm largely works as promised — with some key caveats. The arm is actually a flashy and helpful function on paper. Nonetheless, in the case of the nuts and bolts of vacuuming and mopping, it stays to be seen if it matches top-tier robotic vacuums from Dreame, Ecovacs, iRobot, Eufy and Roborock itself.
We have now a pair of evaluate items on the best way, and we’ll be placing it to the take a look at to search out out if the Saros Z70 and its robotic arm are value its princely price ticket.
Utilizing the Omnigrip robotic arm
Step one is activating the arm. In response to Roborock, the robotic arm is disabled by default as a security measure. To allow it, it’s worthwhile to activate it within the app and bodily press a button on the Z70 earlier than it begins working.
“You should observe a sequence of steps, like urgent completely different bodily buttons on the system to activate it,” stated Ruben Rodriguez, senior supervisor of worldwide PR and communications at Roborock. “And [only] as soon as there’s a affirmation within the app and on the bodily system that you simply really need to activate it, it is activated. It is a fairly straightforward course of, but it surely’s an essential security function that this factor can’t be remotely activated. You may solely activate it from your house with entry to the robotic itself.”
The Saros Z70 has bodily buttons that should be pressed to activate the Omnigrip arm.
This function is to maintain any nefarious actors from hacking your armed robotic and to warn you when it is about to unleash its arm in order that you recognize to remain away from it. This is not a lot a hazard for you, however Roborock is anxious about injury to the arm if it will get bumped or blocked.
The Omnigrip arm pops out of a panel-covered compartment on the highest of the robotic vacuum. When it is in common vacuum or mopping mode, it stays tucked away, however when it is time to decide up muddle, it deploys the arm and goes to work.
The Saros Z70 efficiently picked up a 298 gram shoe.
In response to Roborock, the arm can carry the burden of an object as much as 300 grams. Roborock additionally informed me that it has been “examined for sturdiness.” Nonetheless, they did not specify the kind of exams they ran for it or a sturdiness score.
I watched the arm efficiently decide up a spread of objects, together with papers, socks, slippers and a shoe that weighed 298 grams, simply shy of the 300-gram restrict. Roborock additionally talked about to me that if the Omnigrip encounters an object it could possibly’t decide up on the primary strive, it will strive a number of instances earlier than giving as much as proceed cleansing and protect battery life. If it could possibly’t decide one thing up, it snaps an image of the item with its digicam and notifies you within the app.
The Saros Z70 doing automated sorting and choosing up objects it marked on the map.
What can the Saros Z70 really decide up?
This is the place the caveats are available. Proper now, the Saros Z70 is pretty restricted within the gadgets it could possibly decide up and the areas the place it could possibly place objects in its automated sorting mode.
“Proper now, we assist two varieties of objects,” Rodriguez stated. “One among them is a miscellaneous class, which incorporates socks and papers and small gadgets; these will go into the storage field. The opposite [type] that we assist is footwear, which is presently restricted to sandals, they will go into the footwear space designated by the consumer within the app.”
The Saros Z70 can acknowledge and decide up 5 gadgets when utilizing automated sorting.
There are 5 acknowledged objects, however no cat toys, little one toys, or principally something unfamiliar that the robotic vacuum does not acknowledge. Whereas AI object recognition is at play, it is also not actively studying about new objects both. In response to Roborock, the Saro Z70 is educated within the manufacturing unit, and the brand new objects it learns about shall be pushed out as a software program replace sooner or later.
“[T]his will all be expanded and we hear a number of suggestions about two gadgets, specifically. One among them is child’s toys; the opposite is pet’s toys. So there is a frequent thread right here, which is toys, and that is good as a result of it means our growth crew is getting helpful suggestions to think about growing picture recognition for these,” Rodriguez stated. “Any new recognizable gadgets will take a little bit extra time; it is the worth of innovation, sadly.”
Which means you may solely get the 5 acknowledged objects at launch, with extra to come back sooner or later following distant updates. It is a fairly important limitation, and personally, it guidelines the Saros Z70 out for me as an early adopter. A very good 90% of the muddle in my residence at any given time is cat toys, so till the Saro Z70 might help me sort out it, there is not a lot place for it in my residence.
The Z70 can map the placement of objects and can return after cleansing to select them up.
How do storage areas work?
The opposite limitation is the storage or dropoff space for various objects that the vacuum collects.
There are presently two varieties of storage: the Roborock Storage Field and Shoe Storage Space. The Z70 comes with a customized basket (storage field) that you may configure to type numerous miscellaneous gadgets like socks and papers, however you too can designate an space in your own home for it to place away footwear and slippers.
“We advocate shoppers to make use of this one as a result of the robotic is educated to acknowledge this sample and acknowledge this field,” Rodriguez stated.
The Saros Z70 placing a serviette into the storage field.
The field is not significantly enticing to take a look at (it does not match my decor anyway), but it surely labored properly throughout the demo. The Saros Z70 appeared to simply acknowledge the place it ought to be dropping the socks and papers. I did discover that it normally most popular to method the field from the aspect moderately than instantly in entrance, however this may need had one thing to do with the eccentricities of mapping on a stage.
How the robotic decides when to tidy and when to scrub
The Omnigrip can be utilized for automated or handbook sorting. With automated sorting, the robotic vacuum does its common cleansing cycle, identifies the objects that may be sorted as potential pick-up gadgets and marks them on the map. When it is completed vacuuming or mopping, it will return to the objects, decide up the acknowledged gadgets and put them within the designated storage areas.
The Z70 can navigate to the storage field and lift its arm to drop gadgets in.
If automated sorting is not activated, the robotic will clear because it normally does, but it surely’ll nonetheless create a map of your house and mark the objects it could possibly doubtlessly decide up. At that time, you may manually go into the app and instruct the robotic to select up and type a number of of the gadgets marked and have it put within the storage space.
It may well put gadgets again the place it discovered them after cleansing the flooring
There’s even a function referred to as follow-up cleansing that enables it to maneuver 5 acknowledged objects to scrub underneath them — useful when you have a toddler or cat who will get upset if their toys put away.
The Saros Z70 leaving its dock carrying a slipper. It may well transfer gadgets to scrub round them earlier than returning them to their unique location.
The Saros Omnigrip has made huge positive aspects since we final noticed it
After we first noticed the Omnigrip forward of CES 2025 in January, it struggled to select up sure gadgets and even had bother exiting its dock.
On this newest demo, Roborock arrange its stage with crumpled papers, socks, sandals and its included storage field. The Saros Z70 did much better at navigating across the stage, choosing up and sorting objects. Notably, it additionally by no means fell off the stage regardless of coming precariously near the sting. The navigation appeared stable, even in a difficult atmosphere.
As for choosing up and sorting gadgets, the vacuum did an awesome job tackling the duty mechanically. Admittedly, it wasn’t practically as quick as I might have been choosing up issues with my very own two fingers, but it surely’s straightforward to go away it puttering away when you do different issues. A couple of minutes of dialog later, the robotic was accomplished placing all the pieces it wanted into the basket.
The Saros Z70 has made nice enhancements within the actions of its robotic arm.
Distant management
The robotic could be managed remotely by way of the app, nearly like a drone. Enabling the distant management to select up places the app right into a digicam view from the robotic vacuum’s viewpoint. From there, you should use the joystick-like touchscreen controls to maneuver the robotic and the arm bodily.
As a result of the distant management offers you entry to the robotic’s cameras (one on the physique and one on the arm), you may must allow a code or sample earlier than beginning the distant management. The robotic may even announce “distant viewing lively” and point out it recurrently. It is a little bit annoying however an comprehensible security function because you by no means need a stranger to have the ability to entry cameras in your house.
The Roborock app offers you the power to regulate the robotic remotely to select up objects by activating the cameras.
On the plus aspect, you too can use the Z70 as a little bit patrol droid whereas away from residence. Whereas it will not document clips, you may remotely test on pets and issues at residence. That stated, Roborock cautioned me that its main goal shouldn’t be as a safety system, so do not depend on it as a substitute of residence safety cameras or pet cameras.
I received to check the Omnigrip with combined outcomes
I gave the distant management a spin and figured it out on the primary strive. I moved the robotic to select up and drop a paper right into a storage field. After I tried to do the identical with a slipper, it was extra of a problem. I struggled to get the robotic arm appropriately rotated and positioned so it may seize the slipper. It took maybe a minute of repositioning earlier than I may get a grip on it.
Whereas this can be a enjoyable concept and implementation, it is pretty time-consuming, and I personally would not be spending my time remote-controlling a robotic vacuum to slowly decide up objects. The one huge promoting level right here is that you should use distant management to select up any object moderately than simply the record of 5 acknowledged objects the Z70 can deal with in automated sorting.
The distant management permits you to decide up any object moderately than simply the 5 acknowledged ones.
Is the Roborock Saros Z70 well worth the worth?
At $1,899, barring any adjustments on account of tariffs, the Saros Z70 prices $300 greater than just about every other robotic vacuum available on the market, together with the just lately launched Saros 10 and Saros 10R ($1,599). Notably, the Saros Z70 makes use of the identical dock because the Saros 10R, so primarily, you are paying an extra $300 for the robotic arm.
It is also extra pricey than many different prime robotic vacuums, together with the $1,699 Dreame X50 Extremely which has legs that permit it scoot over obstacles. If all you are searching for is mopping and vacuuming performance, there are many robotic vacuums that may do it for half the worth, like iRobot’s new entry-level lineup that brings premium options to the vary.
Whereas the Saros Z70 impressed me on this demo and decluttering a room to permit for complete cleansing is a gorgeous proposition, I will maintain my official take till I’ve had an opportunity to totally take a look at and evaluate the Saros Z70
The Saros 10R can put footwear and slippers in a chosen space in your house.
Like all robotic vacuums, the Saros Z70 is a time- and labor-saving system. It’s going to do its factor, choosing up muddle, vacuuming and mopping when you can are likely to different issues. A few of the utility is presently restricted, however there are extra developments to come back if you happen to’re prepared to be affected person.
For a deeper dive into the Roborock Saros Z70, we’ll be testing it within the CNET vacuum lab in Louisville, and I will even be personally placing it by way of its paces in our NYC workplace and at my residence, a lot to the chagrin of my three cats.
