Stair-climbing robot vacuums aren’t going away anytime soon

Stairs are traditionally a robot vacuum’s worst enemy, but this might not be the case for much longer. Earlier in the year, Roborock debuted the Saros Rover, a robot vacuum with legs that can climb stairs, moving between floors to clean homes from top to bottom. More recently, the Saros Rover appeared again at IFA 2026, showing that the stair-climbing robot may be more than a one-off concept.

Roborock designed the robot to mimic “human mobility”, able to control its legs independently to get up and down stairs. While on a step, the Saros Rover can even pivot and clean the surface as it scales each stair.

While the Roborock Saros Rover doesn’t have a confirmed release date, it seems to be a technology that is nearing commercial use. Current robot vacuums can clean multiple storeys, but only when you manually carry them from one floor to the next. If something like the Saros Rover becomes publicly available, it could eliminate yet another layer of friction in home cleaning.

Go with the (Saros) flow

As announced alongside Roborock’s debut robotic pool cleaner and new stick vacuum range, the brand’s new flagship robot vacuum — the Saros 20 Flow — is on its way to Australia. Joined by the Roborock Qrevo Edge 3 Pro, it’s a more feature-rich version of the base Saros 20 launched earlier this year.

Dubbed ‘Flow’ because of its roller mop technology, the $2,799 Saros 20 Flow — due out by the end of the month — applies more downward pressure than spinning mop pad technology. With this design, the robot should be able to get more sticky messes off hard floors.

Saros 20 Flow. Image: Roborock.

Meanwhile, the Qrevo Edge 3 Pro (also $2,799 in Australia) sports the same 36,000Pa suction power as the Saros 20 Flow. The main difference is that the latest Qrevo uses spinning mop pads for wet cleaning instead. Because of this, it’s shorter (7.95cm tall versus the Saros 20 Flow’s 8.98cm height) and can fit under more furniture.

So, the main deciding factor between the two is whether you prioritise raw mopping power or the ability to clean under low-hanging furniture. After the Saros 20 Flow launches this month, the Qrevo Edge 3 Pro is out in Australia this October.

The post Stair-climbing robot vacuums aren’t going away anytime soon appeared first on GadgetGuy.

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