The DEEBOT X1 OMNI vacuums and mops your home and then returns to its station to clean itself. Photo / Supplied.

New robotic vacuums not just cleaners - they're time machines.

There's a new phenomenon sweeping New Zealand…literally - robotic vacuum cleaners.

According to leading robotics manufacturer Ecovacs Robotics, Kiwis are waking up to the fact they can buy something even more precious than a device to do their cleaning for them – time.

"It really is all about time," says Karen Powell, Regional Director of Ecovacs Robotics for Australia & New Zealand. "People are time-poor these days and the research we have done in New Zealand shows what's happening globally is happening here in New Zealand too."

The latest DEEBOTs from Ecovacs have industry leading suction and mopping capabilities. Photo / supplied.

The brand has just launched two highly advanced robotic vacuums – the DEEBOT X1 OMNI and the DEEBOT X1 PLUS – and says the rapid improvement in performance has helped drive a swiftly-growing global market.

The first six months of this year saw the market swell to US$5.3 billion, with robotic vacuums now forming almost 25 per cent of the market. "That's huge growth," says Powell, unsurprised by predictions the market will grow to more than twice that by 2026, at an annual compound growth rate of 23 per cent.

She puts it down to three main elements: time, design and vastly improved functionality through innovation and technology.

"In New Zealand, our research told us that 82 per cent of Kiwis are more open to embrace robots to assist with household chores if it could save them time. That's the key – people's time is so valuable to them these days and you could say we are selling time as much as we are selling robotics.

"We found out that 52 per cent of the Kiwis surveyed spend more time than they want on household chores; 28 per cent go to bed every day wishing they had more time in a day. I think those figures are revealing – and it's a big part of why robotic vacuum use is growing globally.

"The fact that Ecovacs has been around for 24 years, is in 145 countries, and has led the way in robotic vacuum and mopping technology, has also spurred this growth."

Covid-19 also played a role in that people trapped at home and unable to travel often invested in "things they felt they deserved and to make things like lockdown more bearable – like coffee machines and, yes, robotic vacuums".

Powell says for people to adopt robotic home help, it has to be easy to use and the performance has to live up to what is printed on the box. In the first iterations of robotic vacuums five or six years ago, the industry was sometimes perceived as a gimmick – this all changed largely thanks to the DEEBOT's advances, she says.

The latest technology means that robotic vacuums can clean your home while avoiding objects on the floor. Photo / Supplied.

Among the features are:

• The first robotic vacuum cleaner to manage the entire floor cleaning process – it sweeps, vacuums, and mops. The DEEBOT X1 OMNI also cleans itself, cleaning and drying the mop with hot air and refilling its water tank from the reservoir in its docking station.
• It has prodigious suction – nearly doubling the pulling power of many robotic vacuums previously on the market and achieving 95 per cent efficiency in the industry's cleaning efficiency standard.
• The dirt goes into an automatic collection and emptying system, meaning the householder only has to throw away the allergen-containing dust bag every 30-60 days in an otherwise hands-free operation covering hard floors, carpets and rugs.
• Its AI and "smart" capability means the DEEBOTS can quickly and accurately map the spaces to be cleaned. They can then be programmed and scheduled to clean either the whole house or portions at a time – often while the householder is out or at work meaning customisation and convenience.
• The YIKO AI voice assistant is the first interactive voice assistant to be incorporated in a robotic vacuum so you now have the choice to give over 40 commands to your DEEBOT whilst directly in front of you or control all functions remotely by an app.

"We have created a vacuum which uses smart technology from the aerospatial and navigation industries," says Powell. "The new DEEBOTS not only map the required cleaning areas quickly, they are also the best there has ever been at obstacle avoidance."

"Think about busy working people with families – and there are over 400,000 households like that in New Zealand. What do you find on the floor? Shoes, clothes and toys. The DEEBOTS can make a split-second decision to avoid those items and carry on cleaning. It can also detect size – small, medium and large – and can make a decision on how close to get to the object it's detected."

Ecovacs has partnered with Jacob Jensen Design to ensure it also looks beautiful in your home. Photo / Supplied.

The other key influence in the growing uptake of robotics was design, she says. The research revealed that appearance or design was important to 50 per cent of the New Zealanders surveyed when it came to buying home appliances – and 58 per cent are now interested in interior design, compared to 36 per cent three years ago.

"That's why we have worked with the famed Danish design house - Jacob Jensen Design," she says. "By its very definition, a robotic vacuum cleaner can't go into a cupboard. It has to be out in the open, so it can clean, whether that is by scheduling or voice command.

"So you can see it – and that means it is very important that it be aesthetically pleasing to look at. It's a big part of the buying decision."

For more information: www.ecovacs.com/nz