Your robot vacuum is obsolete: 7 revolutionary features are coming

So you thought your new robot vacuum with its self-emptying bin and LiDAR navigation was state of the art? Well, not anymore. 

Robot vacuum technology has grown by leaps and bounds over the past year alone. Besides simply emptying their own bins and mapping your rooms with lasers (that’s so 2022), the latest robot vacuums can hoist themselves over door thresholds, extend robotic arms to reach dust particles tucked in corners, apply elbow grease to stubborn floor stains, and more. 

Read on for seven of the hottest features coming to the latest robot vacuums and mops, starting with… 

‘Monster truck’ wheels 

Ever watch your robot vacuum struggle to crest a door threshold that’s barely an inch tall? It’s a sad sight, not to mention a barrier (literally) to achieving total vacuum coverage for your floors. 

Well, good news. We’ve already seen a pair of robot vacuums that boast ”monster truck” wheels (that’s what we’re calling them, anyway), perfect for helping the bots hoist themselves over door thresholds, high-pile rugs, and other obstacles that conventional bots can’t scale. 

These robot-lifting wheels are coming to Shark’s PowerDetect Self-Empty Robot Vacuum in the form of “NeverStuck” technology, while Roborock is calling its version “AdaptiLift.” 

Don’t expect these power-lifting wheels to allow a robot vacuum to leap tall buildings in a single bound; for its part, Roborock says its AdaptiLift tech will help the new Qrevo Curv clear standard door thresholds up to 3cm high or “complex” double-layer thresholds up to 4cm tall. 

Still, just that little extra can make a big difference in terms of your robovac making it over, say, the bathroom door threshold without a human assist. 

Anti-tangle roller brushes 

One chore that robot vacuum owners hate is pulling thick, knotted tangles of hair off the roller brushes. If a member of the household has long hair or—worse—you’ve got four-legged furry friends at home, you may find yourself cutting the hair off with scissors.  

Well, good news, pet lovers. The latest crop of robot vacuums includes models with anti-tangle roller brushes.  

These brushes come with metal teeth (generally integrated into the brush guard) that cut any swept-up hair before it has a chance to wrap itself around the rollers, allowing the vacuum to suck the strands directly into its dust bin. 

It’s a terrific idea, and one that cuts down on one of the biggest robot vacuum pain points. 

Robot vacs that come with hand vacs 

As good as the latest robot vacuums are, there are some spaces where even the highest-end models simply can’t reach—under sofa cushions, within tight corners, on countertops, and so on. 

That’s why we’re seeing more robot vacuums that come with their own hand vacs. These combo units typically offer integrated charging for both the robot and the hand vacuum—and in some cases, the base will empty both the bot and the hand vac. 

Just like standard hand vacs, the ones that come bundled with robot vacuums often come with their own attachments, including different-sized heads and even stick accessories. 

Of course, getting a robot vaccum-and-hand vac combo means you’ll have to settle for the handheld model the manufacturer gives you, so if you have particular needs when it comes to a cordless hand or stick vacuum, you might be better off purchasing the component separately. 

That said, these combo models cut down on clutter by allowing you to use a single charging station for both units—and the self-emptying functionality is priceless. 

Self-washing mop heads 

Got a robot vacuum that doubles as a mop? Not bad, but do you have to wash the mop heads manually? Time for an upgrade. 

The latest robot vacuum and mop combos can wash their own mop heads, first detaching them from the bot before conveying them to the base station for a thorough, hands-free cleaning. 

Even better, higher-end robot mops will wash their mop heads with hot water, perfect for cleaning stubborn grime as well as stopping bacteria in its tracks. 

Finally, the best robot mops will dry the just-washed mop heads as well, thus keeping mold from getting a foothold. 

Extendable side brushes and mop heads 

For years, a spindly side brush was the best way for a robot vacuum to clean the squared-off corner of a room. But as ingenious as they are, side brushes still can’t reach into the very back of a corner, leaving small but stubborn traces of debris behind. If only those little brushes could reach out a tiny bit further… 

Well, now they can. The latest robot vacuums and mops come with extendable robotic arms that can extend side brushes and mop heads ever so slightly from the bot’s chassis, allowing them to clean even closer to the edges of a room and deeper inside corners.  

Watch a state-of-the-art robot vac and mop now, and you’ll see its mop heads extending a tad as the bot navigates around a table leg or floats along a baseboard, allowing it to scrub within a millimeter from the edge. 

Dirt detection

Most robot vacuums and mops clean rooms by methodically scouring every possible inch of floor space, as opposed to actively seeking out dirt and grime. 

The most advanced models, however, actually can look for dirt—and when they spot a mess, they can adjust their schedules or slow down to apply some extra elbow grease. 

IRobot’s Dirt Detective technology, for example, keeps track of where the robot has encountered dirt before and essentially creates a dirt map of your home, noting the rooms and areas that tend to get the dirtiest. Using the map, the robot can create custom automations for tackling your grimiest rooms. 

Other robots, like models from Dreame and Roborock, use AI to scan your floors in real time, allowing them to slow down, boost their suction, increase water flow, and take other measures for a more thorough cleaning when they spot a mess. 

Back-and-forth scrubbing 

Remember when robot mops did little more than drag a damp cloth across the floor? Now, most robot mops boast rotating mop heads that apply downward pressure as they clean—but even so, nothing really beats a hard, back-and-forth scrub for those really stubborn stains. 

The good news is we’re starting to see robot mops that mimic that back-and-forth motion, employing mopping pads that vibrate thousands of times a minute.

Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra, for example, has a VibraRise 3.0 mopping pad that vibrates at up to 4,000 times a minute, while the Shark Matrix Plus applies a tough, back-and-forth scrubbing motion.