In a nutshell: The obvious shortcoming? Well, you're inviting a roving camera into your home meaning privacy is going to be a concern for some potential buyers. There's also the $799 price tag although really, that's in line with some of its competitors already on the market.
Autonomous robotic vacuums have been making life a bit easier for their owners for over two decades now. While later examples are significantly more capable than earlier models, even the most advanced robovacs still have some pretty significant shortcomings that limit their usefulness.
Anyone with pets, for example, is well aware of how unpredictable they can be. A simple accident due to an upset stomach can turn into an absolute nightmare if your robot vac isn't able to detect the mess and take evasive maneuvers. Yes, it's a very real possibility and one that happens more often than you might think.
A company by the name of Trifo believes it has developed a solution to avoid such calamities and more through the use of edge AI and cameras.
Trifo's new Lucy robotic vacuum is equipped with a 1080p HDR color camera and an active depth sensor. Together, these sensors can identify objects down to an inch tall so things like slippers, socks and pet accidents won't get run over and hinder the robot's job (or worse, transfer the mess all around your home).
The cameras - powered by a six-core ARM processor - also double as a mobile surveillance system, scouting your home day and night for any suspicious behavior. Lucy has a 5,200mAh battery that's good for up to 120 minutes of runtime and is rated at 3,000 Pa of suction.
Look for Lucy to do your bidding from the first quarter of this year.