Chinese manufacturers of household cleaning robots are gaining dominance, with the country’s major five players now holding 70% of the global market as the companies compete on unique features rather than price alone.
The Saros Rover being developed by Roborock can climb stairs, using two legs that extend from the bottom of the robot to lift its front wheel onto surfaces higher than the robot is tall.
The smart vacuum’s Beijing-based manufacturer aims to mass produce the model within a few years. The climbing feature would make it the world’s first robot vacuum able to cover multiple floors.
Roborock was established in 2014 by a software engineer with experience at both US tech giant Microsoft and Chinese internet titan Tencent Holdings. The company led the global market with a 27% share in the second half of last year, US-based research firm IDC reports, and also holds a leading share in major developed markets including the US, Germany, and South Korea.
The company posted revenue of nearly RMB 18.7 billion (USD 2.8 billion) for 2025, of which 56% came from overseas.
