Roborock Saros 20 does not ask permission: it crosses thresholds, decides and cleans itself

Roborock Saros 20 is not a robot hoover, it is a demonstration that cleaning products can evolve through small 'leaps' of incremental innovation. This was not to be taken for granted because some already thought that these products had already become a commodity.

The key innovation is the AdaptiLift 3.0 adaptive chassis. Translation from marketing to Italian: the Saros S20 raises and lowers the body, like an active suspension, and overcomes thresholds of up to almost nine centimetres. In practice, it enters the home like an electric SUV: without asking permission from carpets, door rails or uneven floors. It is a solution designed for the real house, not the one in the renderings.

Beneath the shell is the usual theme dear to Roborock: power. Here we are talking about 36,000 Pascal of suction, a number that in the world of domestic robots equates to 'sucks up everything that is not nailed to the floor'. Fine dust, sand, crumbs and especially pet hair. The anti-tangle system, with brushes designed not to turn into cocoons of hair, is less spectacular on paper but much more important in everyday life.

Navigation takes another leap forward. The StarSight 2.0 system combines sensors and computer vision to read the environment and make decisions in real time. The result is a robot that no longer wanders like a tourist without Google Maps, but builds a precise map, recognises common obstacles and avoids them. Shoes, cables, objects forgotten on the ground: the Saros 20 sees them and gets around them. It does not push them around the house like the robots of a few generations ago did.

The most interesting chapter, however, is that of washing. In the Sonic version, the mop vibrates up to 4,000 times a minute and, more importantly, extends sideways to reach under skirting boards and into corners. It is one of those ideas that seem marginal until you realise that that is exactly where the dirt accumulates. It is no longer a cloth dragged with resignation, but an active tool, designed for scrubbing. The first reviews in the international press speak of a real change of pace, not a cosmetic one.