- DJI’s new Romo vacuum uses AI-powered vision and decision-making for home cleaning
- The robot uses drone-grade sensors and real-time path planning to adapt to each room
- Romo’s high price and limited smart home integration may prevent it from dethroning Roborock globally
DJI, a company known for putting autonomous flying machines in the sky, is now pointing its AI at the clutter in your home. The company’s first robot vacuum line, the Romo, is officially rolling out in Europe this week – although it’s select markets, so far, with no shared timeframe for the UK. And while it’s being marketed as a high-spec cleaning device, it also shows how DJI is working to spread AI-powered tools along the ground as well as in the sky.
The three Romo models, S, A and P, range from €1,299 to €1,899 and include features you’d expect from a top-of-the-range robotic cleaner, such as a self-draining base, obstacle detection, mopping and deodorizing capabilities, and almost terrifying levels of suction. But it’s arguably the intelligence under the hood that defines the Romos, specifically the kind derived from DJI’s years of work in drone navigation.
The Romo’s machine learning capabilities allow it to mimic the kind of adaptation and planning needed to clean a home. The software learns the layout of a home as it moves through it, observing with dual fisheye vision sensors and solid-state LiDARs, aided by edge-aware depth algorithms. This means it can predict collisions in advance and avoid them by recognizing obstacles ranging from irregular furniture and wires to scraps of dog food.
It is not difficult to connect the dots from DJI’s drone technology to the vacuum. Making split-second decisions in unstable, fast-moving environments is what autonomous drones must do all the time. Avoiding a playing card is probably easier than avoiding a small bird moving through the air.
It’s also why other smart vacuums are likely keeping an eye on Romo. Most robot vacuums can perform basic mapping and obstacle avoidance. Some can even mop or recognize room types. But Romo offers a more complex understanding of the environment and how a home can look different from minute to minute.
The vacuum device even changes the rotation of the brush when it detects dirt like debris or food, applying more targeted suction while slowing down to prevent spreading. These behaviors are not hard-coded rules either; they are based on feedback to the algorithms within. And the dual flexible arms extend or retract based on AI-powered interpretation of edge geometry, not just bump detection.
And there’s a hint of the filmmaking that DJI drones are known for in the video feeds from the Romo’s built-in sensors. Owners can use them to check in on pets or children remotely, though it requires two-factor authentication and uses encrypted transmission for privacy.
AI vacuum battle
Even Romo’s self-cleaning base station operates under the premise of minimizing human input, able to dose cleaning solution or deodorizer based on room type.
However, whether DJI’s software is up to par with its hardware may still be an open question. The DJI Home app isn’t as well integrated into smart home ecosystems like Apple HomeKit or Alexa Routines. For such an intelligent vacuum, the isolation feels like a missed opportunity. Still, you get control of smart routines, cleaning zones and AI-generated maps, so it’s hardly lacking much in itself.
Nevertheless, DJI is unlikely to threaten Roborock’s throne in the near term. Romo’s price tag is steep even for power cleaners, and it’s not yet widely available across the globe. Their appeal is for tech buffs, early adopters and DJI die-hards, but everyday consumers may balk at spending €1,899 on something that cleans marginally better than a €799 competitor. It’s selected markets in Europe so far, and there are no plans for a US launch yet.
However, Romo doesn’t feel like a volume play. It’s more of a way for DJI to show that the same basic technology used to control drones, stabilize cameras and track athletes can also analyze your floor and determine whether that clump of fuzz is dust or dog hair.
DJI may be planning a full AI-first rollout of consumer robotics, with Romo as a test run. So while Roborock doesn’t have to worry about Romo taking away all of its customers, it should keep an eye on the future being mapped out now. Because if there’s one thing DJI tech is good at, it’s navigating a map.
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