DJI’s Surprising Robot Vacuum Is Built on Drone Technology
DJI has entered yet another new product category by launching Romo, a robot vacuum cleaner. And like DJI’s other recent new products, including its first 360° camera, the Osmo 360 action camera, its advanced Power-series battery system, and even its e-bikes, everything always comes back to DJI’s most famous product segment: drones.
As The Verge reports, the DJI Romo comes in three different variations, two of which sport a stylish transparent design. What’s especially interesting about all three robot vacuum models, the DJI Romo P, Romo A, and Romo S, may differ in precise appearance and features, but all three employ the same general system. There is the robot vacuum itself, which, like competing robot vacuums, is a disc-shaped appliance that moves around to clean up the floor, and a larger housing unit that charges the vacuum.
The DJI Romo series promises “up to 25,000Pa of suction power,” per The Verge, which makes it an especially powerful product in its class. It has anti-tangle roller brushes, sweeping brushes, and robotic arms that can extend the vacuum’s reach. The highest-end model, Romo P, can also work as a mop.
What is most interesting about the DJI Romo series of robot vacuums is the underlying technology, including obstacle detection and a “binocular fisheye vision sensor.” While a robot vacuum may at first seem like a DJI product totally out of right field, the most essential technology involved — the ability for the robot vacuum to navigate and clean an area — is lifted directly from DJI’s well-established drone technology.
This is not unique to the DJI Romo, either, as DJI told PetaPixel earlier this year that everything it does comes back to its drones, whether that’s utilizing the advanced battery technology, image sensors, or machine learning featured in its drones. In the case of DJI Romo, it’s ultimately all three of these areas.
“While some new product categories we’ve entered may be unexpected initially, there’s a method to the madness,” DJI Senior Product Specialist Donovan Davis told PetaPixel in April.
“Every new branch is an extension of our expertise in drones and robotics, from our stabilization and obstacle avoidance technology to the cameras, batteries, and motors. This expansion started when we adapted our drone gimbals for professional filmmaking cameras and continued last year when we applied our long history of battery R&D to create our first portable power stations and e-bikes,” Davis continued.
“Every new product line is an extension of our expertise in drones and builds on our experience in developing sensors, stabilization technology, batteries, and motors. This is why our products stand out, even in new categories.”
However, Davis also touched on increasing geopolitical instability and tariffs in the United States. These are significant roadblocks for the Chinese technology company, as has been seen with its recent products, including the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and DJI Osmo 360 not initially launching in the United States. The DJI Romo series will follow suit, and is currently not available to American customers. Nonetheless, the DJI Romo S starts at around $650, while the Romo A and Romo P come in at $750 and $950.
DJI is launching the Romo robot vacuums in China first, but says global availability is on track for later this year. Whether that will include the U.S. or not remains an open question. DJI has been working hard to figure out how to reenter the U.S. market in full, in some cases pulling some sly moves.
Image credits: DJI
