5 late innovations in the robot vacuum cleaner that I want to see in 2025

Robot vacuums have dramatically transformed our approach to household cleaning. The best robotvacs of the moment bringing efficiency and convenience to everyday life, leaving us more time to do the important things, like bingeing on Netflix with a bucket of popcorn and a glass of wine.

Even though the majority of contemporary Robovacs are extremely effective at regularly keeping floors in pristine condition, I think there is still room for improvement, particularly in terms of design and aesthetics. It is with this in mind that I have defined five key elements that I would like to see come to fruition in 2025 and beyond. Here we go…

1. D-shaped or square robots

I never questioned the circular design of robot vacuums until iRobot launched the excellent Roomba S9+ in 2019, the first D-shaped model with a brush bar that covered almost the entire width of the vacuum cleaner. ‘Before. This got me thinking. Why are almost all robot vacuums circular when 99% of the world’s homes are square with right-angled corners in every room? Surely a D-shaped or square robot would be more efficient at reaching corners?

Instead, the majority of robot vacuum manufacturers continue to produce circular models with a ridiculous little side-mounted rotating brush, designed to throw dust along the edges and corners of a room towards the area main aspiration. Some manufacturers like Roborock and Dreame have even decided to equip their high-end models with side brushes that cleverly extend outwards on one arm so they can reach a corner more easily. I like it. But what if their robots also had a square facade? This would surely be even better for sweeping corners and edges.

Square robots simply make more sense for right-angled parts (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Another unique feature of circular robots is that their main brush bars are sandwiched between the wheels, and the wheels themselves are positioned an inch or more from the sides of the robot. Most circular robot vacuums are around 33cm / 13″ wide, but their central suction areas are only 17cm / 6.7″ wide on average, meaning there is around 16cm ( 6″) of wasted space which does absolutely nothing from a vacuum cleaner’s point of view. This seems absurd to me.

A D-shaped design like the Roomba s9+ (right) provides a wider suction area than a round design like the j7+ (left) (Image credit: iRobot)

Take the Dyson 360 Vis Nav, for example. Although it doesn’t have the best navigation, I think this robot is a great example of how every robot vacuum should be made. Not only is this undeniably beautiful model D-shaped, its 26cm front brush bar covers almost the entire width of the device, meaning it effectively sweeps a much wider path, saving time and effort. battery power while cleaning. plinths and corners more efficiently.

To date, the only modern robot vacuums to sport a square front end are the aforementioned Vis Nav, the square Eufy Omni S1 Pro, the unique tractor-like Samsung Jet Bot AI+, the D-shaped Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni and its premium. stablemate, the X5 Pro Omni, which I hope to test soon. Let’s have more of this style of robot please!

2. Premium vacuum-only models

I can’t remember who was the first to install a mop on the back of a robot vacuum, but it seems like it’s almost impossible to buy a high-end model without a mop system. There are very valid reasons why many homeowners would like their robot to clean as well as a vacuum, but personally, I almost never use the mopping function because I’m lucky enough to have a vacuum cleaner. cordless cleaning that does a much better job, the more I do it. I need it. And I don’t think I’m the only one, according to some Reddit forums.

The problem is that every mid-to-high-end robot vacuum automatically comes equipped with a self-cleaning mopping system, while only cheaper models offer a vacuum-only function. What I want to see is a high-end brushless vacuum model and a cleaning station that contains a dust bag three to four times larger than the current average.

Adding water tanks means much less space for dust and hair collection in the Robovac dock. (Image credit: Future)

For what? Well, I have two shedding labradors and three cats and I have to change the two liter dust bag on my Roborock Qrevo Curv every two weeks simply because of the huge amount of hair collected almost daily. I have another Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra upstairs and this area has older carpet that I inherited from a previous owner. Due to the age of the carpets, the S8 Max V Ultra collects so many old carpet fibers and pet hair that it fills the dock trash in about a week.

So please, dear robotics technicians, forget about filling an entire dock space with water tanks for a grossly inadequate cleaning system and give me a huge dust bag that won’t have need to be replaced for at least a few months. Such a model would surely rise to the top of TechRadar’s guide to the best robot vacuums for pet hair. THANKS.

3. More aesthetic cleaning docks

What I’m about to say applies to virtually all robot vacuums that have a cleaning station. In other words, the vast majority. Namely, why are their clean docking bays/bases – whatever you want to call them – so unattractive, mostly available in clinical white and covered in some sort of shiny plastic that attracts dust like flies to a cow? After all, these megaliths need to be located in a convenient location with clear access to the rooms their robots will clean. And that means placing them somewhere within sight, usually a hallway, the living room or the kitchen.

Docks need to be big enough and prominent…so why doesn’t anyone pay attention to aesthetics? (Image credit: Future)

Of all the robot vacuums I’ve ever reviewed, only iRobot and Eufy seem to have made any effort to make their cleaning stations at least somewhat aesthetically pleasing. Personally, I’m surprised that manufacturers haven’t experimented with different styles of wood siding for their loading docks (pine, oak, cedar, walnut, etc.), or even leather of different textures to make their products blend together. in their environment. .

After all, if that means placing your robot’s dock in a highly visible location like the living room – which is often the case – shouldn’t it at least blend in with the decor and furniture instead of standing out like an ugly anthrax? We don’t live in labs, so come on, everyone, dear robot vacuum makers: start producing robot docks that people would actually like to have in their homes.

There are two main types of navigation used by most robot vacuums: laser LiDAR and camera-based vSLAM. LiDAR is by far the fastest and most accurate form of room mapping and general navigation, although it presents a major pitfall: robots equipped with it will almost certainly avoid drilling into a bed or sofa valance, or even any form of fabric border. This means that most robot vacuums equipped with LiDAR will never vacuum under a bed or sofa equipped with a valance unless it is raised and folded in advance.

Conversely, although much slower and less accurate at mapping a room, camera-based vSLAM robots have no problem venturing beyond valances as they primarily use a bump-and-drop approach. run.” Therefore, when they enter a valance and feel movement when they touch it, they usually continue under the valance to vacuum under a couch or bed.

Even robots equipped with cameras tend to avoid dusty spaces under the bed obscured by valances. (Image credit: Future)

Many modern high-end robot vacuums I’ve reviewed come with both LiDAR and a camera, sometimes even two cameras. However, I’ve never seen someone ignore my sofa valance and knock directly, so what I’d like to see in 2025 and beyond is some sort of sensor system that involves light touch when a robot approaches a valance or a low-loaded vehicle. bedspread. If it detects movement in the obstacle, it must move forward slowly until it is stopped by something solid. If nothing firm stops his progress, then he must continue to aspire beyond.

Since a large amount of dust and hair accumulates under beds and sofas, a system capable of ignoring soft barriers would be a major boon. And it wouldn’t necessarily be a disaster if the user didn’t want their robot to perform such an act, as the accompanying app for each robot vacuum provides the means to add virtual boundaries and no-go zones. It’s a win-win situation.

5. Bin full sensor

Currently, I don’t think robot vacuum manufacturers are allowed to install “bin full” sensors on their robots due to an existing iRobot patent which, according to Google patents, is set to expire in May 2027 This patent allows iRobot models to return. to their self-cleaning docks in the middle of a cleaning session whenever the bin’s sensor “detects that the amount of debris in the collection chamber is greater than a predetermined amount.”

As a result, all other models must continue their cleaning sessions even when their tiny internal bins are already full rather than returning to their cleaning stations to have their bins automatically emptied into the dock’s large dust bag.

The small built-in bins on robot vacuums fill up quickly, but only iRobot models can tell you when that bin is full (Image credit: Future)

If you have shedding pets at home, it’s almost certain that the robot’s internal bin will fill with pet hair long before it finishes its cleaning task. And that means any subsequent suction could potentially clog the suction tube without the robot realizing it.

Fortunately, some robot manufacturers like Roborock get around this problem by offering an option in their app to select frequent emptying for households with pets. But wouldn’t it be great if all manufacturers could equip their robots’ tiny trash cans with a sensor that tells them to return to their dock for an emptying session before heading back out to complete the task? I guess we’ll have to wait until 2027 or thereabouts.