Hasta La Ideas

I am all for floor-cleaning robots ; they can’t do you much harm from down there. But Australian manufacturer Roborock decided to give their Saros Z70 robo-cleaner a freaking five-axis arm and a claw.

The idea is that when it encounters an obstacle blocking its path, it lifts it out of the way to continue cleaning.

It can also pick up things like your snotty tissues and throw them into a wastebasket (provided you program in the location of the wastebasket).

It can perform these feats thanks to its dual-camera system—one on the chassis, one on the claw arm—which I’m sure the company doesn’t use to spy on you.

If you want to prevent the machine from pursuing you, you must erect a barrier larger than a threshold.

The company says they’ve pre-programmed the units to recognize 108 objects, though they haven’t disclosed what those objects are. (Sure, I’m paranoid for thinking that if this finds your passport or a credit card on the ground, it picks it up and photographs it.) You can program in a further 50 objects, because that is definitely what you should spend your free time doing.

The units will roll out later this year. No price has been announced.