Meet the versatile Roborock Qrevo Curv, which not only vacuums and hot-mops but also prepares itself for the next cleaning session.

Back in 2002, robot vacuums like the Roomba navigated homes by bumping into furniture and walls. It wasn’t particularly advanced, but it did the trick—eventually.

Today’s robot vacuums are a big leap forward. They come equipped with advanced sensors and cameras that help them steer clear of pets, power cords, chairs, and other obstacles. They’re also capable of hot-mopping smooth surfaces like tile and wood, and they can self-maintain by emptying their dust bins, cleaning, and drying their mops, along with heating and filling their water tanks.

I’ve been testing the Qrevo Curv, a cutting-edge robot vacuum priced at $1,599.99 from Roborock, a prominent player in the rapidly evolving market. It’s incredible how automated cleaning has become.

Additionally, the Curv features side-by-side brushes that effectively gather pet hair and other debris that could clog the vacuum. It also boasts the highest suction power among robotic vacuums, making it superior in performance. With its versatile lifting and extending features, it can clean nearly every type of floor.

And then there’s its navigation technology.

Self-driving technology

Robot vacuums are increasingly implementing navigation technologies similar to those found in modern self-driving cars and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

Most vehicles equipped with ADAS utilize a combination of technologies to recognize and avoid obstacles, including:

· Radar, which uses radio waves to detect objects at long distances, irrespective of weather conditions, day or night.

· Ultrasonic technology, which employs sound waves for tasks like self-parking in short-range scenarios, regardless of weather conditions.

· Lidar, which uses laser beams to achieve high-precision identification of objects in short to medium ranges, suitable in clear weather at any time of day.

· Vision systems that provide a comprehensive view of short- and medium-range environments but may struggle under poor weather or low-light conditions.

Not every auto manufacturer implements multi-input navigation systems, despite their clear advantages. For example, Tesla exclusively uses vision-based navigation. The company intends to stick with this method during the upcoming launch of the Cybertaxi in a few years, which has drawn scrutiny from regulators.

Roborock and other manufacturers are increasingly integrating multi-input navigation systems, even if their safety and accuracy standards aren’t as stringent as those in the automotive industry. They’re adding various navigation technologies to enhance coverage, improve precision, and introduce innovative features.

Roborock’s PreciSense navigation system in the Curv uses lidar to create a map of your home, plan efficient cleaning paths, and avoid obstacles. It also has a camera with a built-in light to identify whether a nearby cat-shaped object is a pet or just a figurine.

Roborock asserts that it’s the only maker of robot vacuums with certified security and privacy protections. If that’s not sufficient, know that the connected camera features come disabled by default so you can choose not to enable them.

PreciSense is not even the most sophisticated navigation system from Roborock. Another new model, the Qrevo Slim, features its StarSight technology, which utilizes multiple lasers for 3D mapping, allowing for enhanced depth precision for better cleaning paths and obstacle avoidance.

Three-wheel drive

The Curv, named for its igloo-shaped design, isn’t built for off-road adventures. However, its three independently operating wheels adjust to tackle doorways, transitions from tile to carpet, and other elevation changes effectively. I found it entertaining to see the Curv climb onto our Fitbit scale while cleaning.

The mops also retract into the vacuum’s base to keep carpets dry during the vacuuming process.

So far, the Qrevo Curv stands out as the most powerful vacuum I’ve encountered, boasting an astonishing suction power of 18,500 Pascals, a notable measurement of suction strength. You can adjust suction levels via the Roborock app, choosing between lower power for regular cleaning tasks and maximum power for tackling significant messes like flower pot spills.

The dual-brush system has proven efficient, never getting clogged with pet hair—or anything else for that matter. The vacuum and mop extensions reach right up to baseboards. The navigation functions impressively, though not without minor hiccups. The Curv avoids some cable clusters but has tangled in others, often because it unintentionally disturbed the cables as it maneuvered. I’ve had to rescue it after it got stuck under a kitchen chair. The spacing between our other chairs either provides ample escape routes or forces the Curv to navigate closely. Unfortunately, it got caught under the kitchen chairs.

I wish I had a pet to fully test the vacuum’s avoidance features. Sadly, our beloved 14-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd/Chow Chow mix passed away this summer. Nonetheless, there was still a fair amount of fur to clean up.

One-room cleaning

After the initial mapping of the house, you can designate specific rooms.

You can designate specific areas in the Roborock app and send the Curv to clean them. However, the app requires rooms to have 90-degree angles, which presents a problem in our space where the transition from the kitchen to the living room is at a 45-degree angle. As a result, the Curv only vacuums a small triangular part of the living room carpet while it goes about mopping and vacuuming the kitchen.

But it’s not a big deal. The Curv uses dual-input navigation, which means the carpet near the kitchen always stays dry and clean. It doesn’t get mopped, whether it’s day or night.