Robot vacuums are now able to navigate our homes without much problem, but things get complicated with multiple floors to clean. It is then up to the user to carry the robot, and sometimes even its station, up the stairs. A start-up called Migo Robotics looked into the problem, and seems to have found a solution: Ascender. This new robot was designed not only to go up and down stairs, but also to clean them in the process.
Motorized legs and rotating brush
The main particularity of Ascender is to integrate two motorized legs which it can deploy thanks to two joints to navigate the stairs. It can both lower them, but also raise them and even clean them thanks to another little feature. Its brush is mounted on a rotating disc which allows it to be turned 90° to clean with side sweeps. A mop is also provided, but we still see a small limit to this system: the shape of the stairs.
The demonstration images that can be found online generally show Ascender on straight stairs with wide, regular treads, but it may be much less comfortable on the thinner steps of an angled or curved staircase. spiral. This robot nonetheless remains a small technical feat.
Characteristics in line with those of the best competing robots
Let us also point out that it is not left out on the more common characteristics, its manufacturer announcing for example a suction power of 9700 Pa. We will admit to you that we are always a little skeptical about this “characteristic” to the extent where the brush is just as important as the power to vacuum, but it nevertheless remains the indicator chosen by most manufacturers to compare the vacuuming performance of their robots, and Migo Robotics is positioned among the best . In comparison, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra unveiled at the last CES is announced at 10,000 Pa.
To navigate, Ascender does not benefit from a system as sophisticated as Matic, the robot with 5 cameras from former Google engineers, but we find the usual laser rangefinder on the top coupled with a camera and other lasers on the front for mapping and obstacle detection, which it of course also promises to recognize for some. Finally, a 12,000 mAh battery should allow it to clean up to 500 m2 before having to return to its station, which can do much more than recharge it. It can also empty its dust bin, fill its water tank and wash and dry its mop.
The Ascender is not yet available for sale, but Migo Robotics is expected to launch a crowdfunding campaign on KickStarter very soon to ensure its launch. It should be noted, however, that a similar campaign was already organized last year. A price of $1,399 was then mentioned, for a release in August 2023. This does not really inspire confidence in the chances of actually seeing this robot land on the market, even if the start-up has been increasing the number of videos since a few weeks and seems to show a product ready to be marketed… So let’s see.