Highly anticipated: Roborock used CES 2026 to debut a robot vacuum that can do what no previous model has achieved: climb a staircase. The prototype, called the Saros Rover, moves on a set of articulated legs mounted on wheels. Each leg can lift, pivot, or jump individually, allowing the machine to ascend steps, clean them, and continue to other floors.
In live demonstrations on the show floor, the Rover's movement looked more amphibious than mechanical. Its legs flexed in a froglike pattern, extending and retracting fluidly. Observers saw it raise and lower each leg independently, shift direction mid-motion, and perform small hops over obstacles. The hardware appeared more responsive than the rigid tracks or rotary casters that dominate most commercial vacuums.
While climbing, the Rover lifted its body onto each stair, settled its weight, then pivoted on one leg to vacuum along the tread before advancing to the next step. The sequence was deliberate: roughly three minutes to scale five stairs.
At times, the machine balanced precariously on an edge, but it never toppled. Though observers questioned whether the design could fully clean narrow stair corners, the controlled movement marked a significant technical advance.
According to Roborock, the motorized drivetrain allows it to regulate speed on downward slopes, stop mid-descent, rotate, and even reverse uphill. In the CES demo, it also performed a short vertical hop – a feature the company says will help it traverse doorway thresholds in split-level rooms.
Roborock claims the design accommodates nearly any architectural layout, from straight staircases to curved, spiral, and carpeted runs with rounded fronts. The public test, however, took place on a wide, flat set of demonstration steps.
Despite the progress, Roborock has not released performance specs, pricing information, or a launch timeline. The company described the Rover as a developmental product, still in refinement following negative feedback to its previous model, the Saros Z70 – a vacuum with a robotic arm that struggled to impress reviewers. "It will take a while to reach the market," Ruben Rodriguez of Roborock told The Verge.
Rodriguez also noted that the Saros Rover doesn't have a built-in mopping system, at least right now. "We're still working out which of our mop systems will work or whether we do a different thing altogether," Rodriguez said. That decision may determine its final form factor and its ability to replace or complement Roborock's current hybrid models.
In just a few years, domestic robot design has evolved from immobile cleaning discs to complex platforms incorporating arms, legs, and now multi-level navigation. CES 2025 featured early versions of this shift: Roborock and Dreame both experimented with robotic arms, while Dreame's unit featured small propeller-like legs meant to cross minor height differences.
Later, at IFA 2025, several brands showed stair-lift accessories designed to carry vacuums between floors rather than letting the robots climb themselves.
A system capable of walking up and down stairs – and cleaning them en route – seemed inevitable. Whether that capability becomes commercially viable or affordable, though, remains uncertain.
Image credit: The Verge