I was an early adopter of the Roomba back in the early 2000s, and let’s just say it didn’t impress. The first Roomba was more of a frustration than a convenience. It barely picked up any dirt, banged into everything, couldn’t find its charging station, and was ridiculously loud. Cleaning its undercarriage took more time than vacuuming the house manually. I quickly abandoned it and never looked back, but apparently, robot vacuums have continued to evolve without me.
The latest trend in robotic vacuums is, oddly enough, adding arms. Yes, you read that correctly—robot vacuums are now getting limbs. According to a report from The Verge, several companies are outfitting their robot vacuums with mechanical arms. For example, Robocks’ Saros Z70 model boasts a “foldable five-axis mechanical arm” designed to move obstacles out of its way. While that sounds fancy, I’m skeptical about its claims, especially given that the promotional trailer (which features a CGI cat) looks entirely computer-generated.
More concerning than the arm’s ability to “move obstacles” is the statement that this arm “sees and thinks.” Now, I’m curious: What exactly is it thinking? Is it pondering, “Oh, there’s a slipper in the way of my crumbs, let me move it to the side”? Or, is it contemplating something more sinister like, “I’ve had enough of these humans leaving their slippers everywhere. Time to use my new arm to strangle them in their sleep”? Honestly, it’s hard to tell with all the ominous AI talk these days.
And it doesn’t stop there. The Dreame X50 Ultra Robot Vacuum takes things even further with “legs” instead of just a mechanical arm. This vacuum, equipped with a “ProLeap™” system, can climb stairs. Granted, it’s limited to steps only 2.36 inches tall, but imagine what’s to come as robots continue to “leap” (and who knows, maybe soon they’ll be parkouring around the house). I’m not sure how I feel about a robot vacuum that might one day chase me up the stairs if it gets tired of cleaning up my mess and decides to “teach me a lesson.”
It’s clear that robot vacuums have come a long way since the early days of the Roomba. Whether they’re adding limbs to improve functionality or, as I fear, preparing for the rise of AI-driven robots that could one day overthrow us, one thing is certain: we’re inching closer to a future where our cleaning devices could either be our helpers or our nemeses.
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