Robot Vacuums With Arms: What They Can Pick Up

Robot vacuums have driven around your furniture for years. The new idea is a robot vacuum that stops, unfolds an arm and moves a sock out of its way. One company sells it today, a second has announced one, and the gap between the sales page and what reviewers saw at home is the interesting part.

This guide covers what the arm can lift, what it was tested on, what it costs and where the second model stands. Every figure comes from a maker's page or a published review, listed with its date at the end.

What is a robot vacuum with an arm?

It is a normal robot vacuum with a folding mechanical arm built in. Roborock's Saros Z70 is the model on sale. Roborock's U.S. page calls it a "foldable five-axis mechanical arm," and the global page names it OmniGrip. According to TechRadar, the pincer on the end is designed to "gently but securely" lift objects up to 300 grams, and when it is not in use the arm folds back under a hatch, so you would not know it was there.

TechRadar's Ruth Hamilton called it the first robot vacuum on the market with a robotic arm. It was announced at CES in January 2025 and went on sale in the U.S. and Australia in May 2025. A camera on the arm helps it find objects, and Roborock's page adds a built-in weight sensor and an LED light.

What can a robot vacuum arm pick up?

A short list. Roborock's page says the arm currently handles "socks, sandals, crumpled tissues, and towels under 300g," and that new items will be added through firmware updates. TechRadar adds a detail that matters for shoes: the list covers sandals, "not shoes, in general." The page also mentions 108 pre-programmed objects the robot recognizes, but TechRadar describes the list of items suitable for pickup as short.

The table sets Roborock's list next to what the two reviewers wrote about each item.

How much can the arm lift?

Roborock's Saros Z70 stops at 300 grams, about 10.6 ounces. The global page says "a built-in weight sensor prevents it from lifting items over a safe threshold." Dreame says the arm on its Cyber 10 Ultra can lift 500 grams, about 17 ounces, and Tom's Guide puts its reach at about 33 centimeters, close to 13 inches.

Both are limits for light household items. A heavier object is outside what either arm is built for, which is part of why the robots that carry laundry baskets, covered in our guide to humanoid home robots, are a different kind of machine.

How does the arm know what to move?

You set it up first. Roborock says the arm functions are "disabled by default," and that the obstacle feature needs the app, where you define what the robot should do with each kind of object. TechRadar describes two settings: ask it to move objects out of its cleaning path, or move specific items to places you choose. The suggestion for now is a cardboard Roborock bin for socks and crumpled paper, and a "shoe zone" for footwear.

You can also drive the arm yourself. TechRadar found the remote control through the app worked well and says it could help people with mobility issues. Roborock adds that the robot can be paused by hand at any time.

Does the arm work in a real home?

Partly, and the reviews are specific about where. TechRadar's Hamilton wrote that the review unit "couldn't get it to automatically tidy away anything at all" in the first tests. In a dim room the robot labelled two sandals and a sock as "Carry out bags" and left them. The verdict: the arm "works well when controlled remotely via the app," but it is "currently limited in what it can achieve autonomously." The same review called the cleaning and navigation outstanding.

BGR's José Adorno had better luck. In that review the Z70 picked up a napkin and took flip-flops to the designated area, which Adorno called "very impressive and high-tech," and the score was 6 out of 10. The listed cons included that the arm "feels more like a gimmick than a product."

Roborock gave BGR a list of limits: the robot may not recognize black or shiny objects, very small or transparent items, or low, flat ones; the arm is slow by design; and the robot cannot cross a threshold while it carries something. It also asked that the storage box not be placed against a wall or furniture.

Both reviews are from 2025. Roborock's page says the software behind the feature "may change without prior notice due to upgrades," and I found no newer independent test of the arm, so the results above show where the first version stood.

How much does a robot vacuum with an arm cost?

On October 24, 2026, Roborock's U.S. page showed the Saros Z70 at $1,699.99, next to a crossed-out $2,599.99. The page lists a one-year limited warranty and says you can return or replace the vacuum for any reason within 30 days of delivery. It had an Add to Cart button but also showed conflicting stock messages, so confirm availability before you plan around it.

At launch, TechRadar listed $2,599, £1,799 and AU$3,999 and called it the most expensive robot vacuum it had tested. It also noted that Roborock's Saros 10, a sister model without an arm, offers the same excellent cleaning at a much lower list price.

Prices on these stores move with sales. Check the live page before you decide.

What about the Dreame Cyber 10 Ultra?

It is the second robot vacuum with an arm, shown at IFA 2025 and again at CES 2026. According to Engadget, the arm extends from the top of the vacuum with a claw on the end, and it can also pick up cleaning attachments from the base station, so it works like a hose accessory for hard-to-reach corners. At the CES demo, the reporter saw it pick up soft balls and put them in a basket, but not lift anything heavier or swap tools.

Engadget reported that Dreame was targeting August 2026 and expected a price around €1,799. Tom's Guide said late summer and about $2,000. When I read Dreame's U.S. robot vacuum collection page and its global home page on October 24, neither listed the Cyber 10 Ultra or a price. That makes it an announced product for now, not one you can buy, and Dreame's August target has passed.

Is a robot vacuum with an arm worth it?

That depends on what you want it for. As a vacuum and mop, the Saros Z70 gets praise from both reviewers, and TechRadar says the same cleaning comes on a sister model without an arm, at a much lower list price. What you pay extra for is the arm, and by the evidence so far it works best in good light, on a short list of light objects and with some setup. It is a real product with a narrow job, much like the robots in our guide to window-cleaning robots.

It also passes the basic checks from our guide to spotting a fake gadget video: an official page with a price, a published weight limit and independent reviewers who reported failures along with the successes. The robot that folds your whole laundry, as we found in why you can't buy a laundry-folding machine, is still a different story.

Frequently asked questions

Can a robot vacuum pick up socks?

Roborock says its Saros Z70 can, and socks are first on its pickup list. In TechRadar's May 2025 test the robot picked some up but put them down about 14 inches away, and Roborock told BGR the arm cannot grab socks on carpet or very flat ones.

How much weight can a robot vacuum arm lift?

Roborock's Saros Z70 is limited to 300 grams (about 10.6 ounces) by a built-in weight sensor. Dreame says the arm on its announced Cyber 10 Ultra can lift 500 grams.

How much does the Roborock Saros Z70 cost?

Roborock's U.S. page listed it at $1,699.99 on October 24, 2026, with a crossed-out price of $2,599.99. TechRadar gave the launch list price as $2,599, £1,799 and AU$3,999.

Does the robot arm work on its own?

Only after you set it up. Roborock says the arm functions are off by default and need the app. TechRadar found remote control worked well but could not get the automatic mode to tidy anything in its first tests, while BGR saw it move a napkin and flip-flops.

Can a robot vacuum arm pick up shoes?

Not in general. Roborock lists sandals, and TechRadar notes this does not extend to shoes. BGR says Roborock planned to add sports shoes in a later update.

Is the Dreame Cyber 10 Ultra on sale?

I could not find it on sale. Dreame aimed for August 2026 at a price around €1,799 according to Engadget, but neither Dreame's U.S. robot vacuum page nor its global home page listed it on October 24, 2026.

Is a robot vacuum with an arm worth the extra money?

Only if you want the arm. TechRadar says the Saros Z70 cleans about as well as its arm-less sister model, the Saros 10, which had a much lower list price, and both reviewers had reservations about the arm so far.

Sources

• Roborock U.S.: Saros Z70 (price, warranty, returns), read Oct. 24, 2026
• Roborock global: Saros Z70 and the OmniGrip arm, read Oct. 24, 2026
• TechRadar: Roborock Saros Z70 review (Ruth Hamilton, May 20, 2025)
• BGR: Roborock Saros Z70 Review: Do Robot Vacuums Need Arms? (José Adorno, June 1, 2025)
• Engadget: Dreame's robot vacuum with an arm is back at CES 2026 (Karissa Bell, Jan. 6, 2026)
• Tom's Guide: Dreame Cyber 10 Ultra hands-on at CES 2026 (Mike Prospero)
• Dreame U.S.: robot vacuum collection (no Cyber 10 Ultra listed), read Oct. 24, 2026