Cleaning robot with gripper arm: The Roborock Saros Z70 has little tangible to offer

The Roborock Saros Z70 is the first vacuum and mop robot equipped with an extendable gripper arm. In practical tests, it performs its main tasks very well, but still picks up things far too often or doesn't pick up at all.

When objects are lying on the floor, robot vacuums and mops usually clean around them. The Roborock Saros Z70, currently priced at around €1,700, is supposed to clear the way for itself by using a gripper arm to move socks, shoes, etc. to the side, or even place them in a box. In practical tests, it had to demonstrate whether it leaves rooms not only clean but also tidy.

You wouldn't guess that the robot has a gripper arm hidden inside; at just under 8 cm tall, it's even slim enough to work under low furniture. The tool is concealed under a flap on the top and only extends when necessary.

Like other high-end cleaning robots, the Saros Z70 parks in a docking station. Not only does it charge its battery, it also automatically refills with fresh water while vacuuming up dirty water. Its mops are also automatically cleaned in the station at temperatures up to 80 degrees Celsius and dried, or stored away when not in use.

Good cartography

Setup is quick and easy via the comprehensive yet easy-to-understand app, and you can send the robot off to map the rooms. This takes a while, but after that, it usually finds its way around very well and hardly misses a reachable spot when cleaning.

The robot also reliably detects the type of surface it's on and raises the mops, side brush, and/or roller as needed. When moving from room to room, the Saros Z70 can even independently overcome thresholds up to 4 cm high by raising its chassis.

Many functions

The robot is capable of saving multiple maps with multiple levels. Users have the option to edit rooms in the app, including setting up restricted areas or virtually placing furniture. They can also specify a zone and the location of an included storage box. This is where the Saros Z70 places collected shoes, socks, and other items—at least in theory.

The robot offers a number of other features. Among other things, it can take photos of obstacles or pets on request. Using the camera, you can also remotely control the Saros Z70 with your smartphone or make video calls, for example, to play with your dog via the built-in speaker.

Great vacuum cleaner

Although the integrated gripper arm only leaves room for one brush bar, the robot is a good vacuum cleaner. It demonstrated strong performance in practical tests, especially on smooth floors. Thanks to an extendable side brush, it doesn't leave too much residue in corners either.

The Saros Z70 also copes well with short-pile carpets or rugs if you increase the suction power – according to the manufacturer, the robot reaches a maximum of 22,000 Pascal. At the highest level, the robot even pulls coffee grounds and other stubborn dirt out of the fibers. For larger areas, it may need to recharge occasionally, but otherwise, its endurance is sufficient.

Despite its high suction power, the Saros Z70 is only partially suitable for deep-pile carpets. If the fibers are particularly long, it could also be a problem because the brush is equipped with blades that cut the hair to prevent tangling.

Decent wiper

The mopping performance is decent for a cleaning robot. As long as there aren't any dried-on sauces, etc., stuck to the floor, it won't leave any stains. If necessary, you can increase the water flow or have it mop twice.

To reach every last corner, the Saros Z70 can extend a mop. This is sufficient for everyday use, but occasionally you have to clean the corners manually. This is no different with all other robot mops.

There are several automatic cleaning programs to choose from, but it's also possible to send the robot for special cleaning in zones defined in the app. It's especially convenient to let the AI ​​decide what to clean with and how intensively.

Gripper arm still immature

So far, so good; as a vacuum and mop robot, the Saros Z70 does a great job. However, it costs €1,700, not least because of its integrated gripper arm, and it's not worth spending that much money right now. Roborock itself states that it can currently only detect and pick up socks, slippers or sandals, crumpled paper, or towels weighing up to 300 g. But even that rarely worked in our tests.

Only socks and (large) paper balls occasionally ended up in the storage box. In a different program mode, the robot was only able to move these items to an already clean zone or collect them after cleaning.

Sorting is a matter of luck

At best, the robot recognized sandals and shoes and avoided them, but it also simply skipped over particularly flat slippers. In practical tests, it was never able to transport the slippers into the designated zone.

Sometimes the robot's voice would announce a sorting session, only to then ignore the detected item. And when a sock was actually picked up, the Saros Z70 placed it next to the box instead of in it in about half the cases.

You can also clean up items using the remote control. To do this, you drive the robot to a nearby area marked in blue on the display, activate the gripper arm, and then move it to the box or storage area. While this is fun at best, it's certainly not efficient.

Roborock claims to continually add new capabilities through updates. That may be true, but the robot shouldn't have been launched with such immature software.

Conclusion

The Roborock Saros Z70 is a great vacuum and mop robot that can reliably handle many tasks independently. However, many other top-of-the-line devices can do this just as well. If you want the robot because of its gripper arm, you have to trust that future updates will actually make it a useful tool. If in doubt, it's better to wait and see how the Saros Z70 develops.