Roborock: thinner and more efficient robot vacuum cleaners with PreciSense

Roborock organized a major conference in China on March 29 to announce its good results – the brand now dominates the robot vacuum cleaner market, in value, according to a study by the Eurominotor research institute covering the first three quarters of 2023 —, but also and above all to present new products. In reality, not all of them were completely new to us, since we were notably able to find the S8 MaxV Ultra which is about to arrive in China under the name G20S. Roborock also presented a slightly improved version of the Q Revo MaxV under the name P10S Pro, but also and above all a certain V20.

The V series is not known in our region either, and it has no equivalent, according to what a representative told us; it would be positioned between the G and P series in China, or S and Q here. In any case, this new model brings some interesting new features that we could well find on other models later.

Refined design and improved obstacle detection

The main novelty of this V20 lies in its navigation system. Unlike previous Roborock models – and most models on the market – it does not include a 360° rangefinder on the top. The new model instead uses a new system called PreciSense which takes place in particular at the front and is based on what the manufacturer presents as a “dual vision 3DToF solid state lidar”.

Concretely, this system, which relies on several lasers to operate both over short and long distances, will allow the robot to map the house and detect obstacles, while offering a more precise analysis of the latter and their volume. . Obstacles could thus be avoided more effectively. Of course, they should also be able to be identified thanks to an additional integrated camera, within a certain limit. And to avoid having to constantly turn around to see what’s going on behind it, as the Shark RV2001WDEU or the Yeedi Floor 3 Station must do for example, the V20 integrates a similar system, but a little simplified, on the back.

The robot does not see 360°, but it still benefits from fairly good coverage. Roborock also claims to have worked on the small navigation errors that can cause certain wall and floor coverings, particularly shiny and reflective, and indicates that its robot does not exceed 8.2 cm in height. It should therefore be able to fit under more furniture than previous models.

FlexiArm front and rear, increased power and new station

While moving, the V20 can unsurprisingly vacuum and wash, and for these two functions counts on the FlexiArm design inaugurated with the latest S8 and Q Revo to reach corners. We can also note that this new model is supposed to offer the highest suction power in the Roborock catalog with 11,000 Pa announced, but also that it is accompanied by a new station with improved washing system.

As we often notice during our tests of robots with automatic mop washing systems, the bottom of the station often ends up in a dirty state, but Roborock has provided a motorized arm on each side in order to evacuate any waste that could stagnate. . The washing system itself, however, remains identical to what can be found on the Q Revo MaxV, and is of course accompanied by the automatic filling of the robot’s water tank and the automatic emptying of its dust bin .

A taste of the Roborock S9?

We will remind you once again that we have no certainty that we will one day see this V20 released here, under this name or another. In any case, it allows you to see what is on the horizon at Roborock. As for the station, this should mainly concern the next Q Revo, since the manufacturer maintains that the VibraRise technology of the S models is more efficient than the rotating mops, but the PreciSense navigation system could become generalized on the most models. more high-end to come, notably on the S9 expected for 2025.