Tips for choosing a robovac/mop (Updated for AIBots and roller mops guide)

Tips for choosing a robovac/mop, especially with the new AiBot and roller/track mops, might just save you from an expensive mistake.

We last updated this guide in May 2025. It represents the collaborative efforts of our independent panel and CyberShack in reviewing most major brands since 2022. We needed benchmarks and so invented the Generation rating.

We resisted the impulse to add a Gen 6 for AiBots and the new roller and track mops but having just reviewed:

• Eufy Omni S2: Robovac with a roller mop exceeds clean
• ECOVACS DEEBOT X11 OmniCyclone robovac/roller mop lets the good time roll
• Narwal Flow – one of the most intelligent and flexible robovac/mop yet

And, with more Gen 6 coming from Roborock, Dreame and Mova, well, it is time to add them. Let’s call it the rise of the machines. To be clear, Gen 6 is mainly about AI and less about specs mopping systems.

Why buy a robovac/mop?

The short answer is that customers expect it to clean a home as well as they could. For the most part, they are disappointed. Even the top of the range Gen 6s still can’t do everything, but they are better than the Gen 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 versions.

People have a love-hate relationship with robovacs. They love the concept but hate it when it does not deliver to their expectations. Why? Most of the time, people buy the wrong robot for their needs.

Let me segue. My sister-in-law, with three kids, two dogs, and an extended family, is a classic Aldi shopper. Her first robovac was an Aldi special Gen 2 DumBot, and she loved it for their hard floor section of a four-level home. In 2023, we gave her the best Gen 4 BrainyBot, and she was gobsmacked at how good it was compared to the Aldi special. In 2024, we gave her the best Gen 5 SmartBot, and she was yet again gobsmacked at the beginnings of cleaning intelligence. She particularly liked the unattended whole-of-home cleaning and very little need to do house prep.

Now, getting towards the end of 2025, we have reviewed most Gen 5s, and it is time to introduce Gen 6 AIBots with AI and new roller and track mops. We know she will again be gobsmacked at the difference a year makes.

It is not about vacuum power or mopping type as much as it is about getting to the nirvana of unsupervised whole-of-home cleaning.

The segue is all about expectations. A Gen 3 is what most people buy who don’t know what Gen 4, 5 and 6 can do. And it might be about price, too. But we can guarantee that if price were not the issue, Gen 5 would now be the minimum standard.

Perhaps the most important tip is that you cannot expect most robovacs to do it all. Left unsupervised, they can be a disaster. You need to prepare the house for a robovac and understand that many will likely snag and choke on every errant charging cable, shoelace, children’s toy or rug tassel.

What are the basic differences?

When you go shopping for a robovac, you may not know what to look for. More than 50 brands/models are currently on offer at Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi, and then you have hundreds of cheap generics at Amazon, AliExpress, eBay, etc.

Please read this guide and understand that there are now generations, and within those, there are must-have items and then nice to have.

CyberShacks’ testing methodology

We use a panel of testers with different floor types, single and multi-level and some with pets. Our real-world advice comes from over four years of experience with many robovacs.

Forgive the panel’s apparent snobbery, but they would not buy a Gen 1-4 robovac after experiencing actual whole-of-home, unattended cleaning of the 2025 Gen 5 and Gen 6 robovacs. These have upped the ante with roller mops, side mini-mop, extra suction power, AI, improved apps and fast charging.

Feature comparison – use this as your shopping list.

We have dropped Gen 1 DumBots and Gen 2 DimBots from the list because these are increasingly scarce.

A blank square means it does not have that feature. We have to make some generalisations. Sometimes a robot may cross Generations as some of the previous year’s premium features become part of next year’s midrange.

Technical terms are explained later.

Robovac

Item	Gen 3 AverageBots	Gen 4 BrainyBots	Gen 5 SmartBots	Gen 6 AIBots
Price	$1000-$1500	$1500-$2000	$2000-2500	$2500+
Format	35cm round	35cm round	35cm round Eufy E28 is square	35cm round Eufy S2 is square
Headlights			Nice to have	Should have
Main rotary brush size	13cm	13cm	15-17cm	17cm
Pet-friendly zero tangle		✅	✅	✅
LiDAR 2D	✅	✅		
LiDAR 3D			✅Some turretless designs have 120° LiDAR or dToF	✅ Ditto
Map	2D editable	2D editable	2D and some 3D. C.comprehensive options	2D with room names and furniture ID. 3D may include height information.
Front obstacle detection		IR	IR/dTOF Structured light	Multiple structured light, Laser dTOF
Front camera AI obstacle detection			Low-res camera	Hi-res and some have binocular cameras.
Obstacle recognition			Object recognition database that should include animal faeces.	AI wireframe/point mapping and cloud reference. Some have an object recognition database as well
Liquid recognition			Few	Most will lift brushes to avoid liquid contamination.
Bumper 180° obstacle detection	✅	✅	✅	✅
IR right-side obstacle detection	✅	✅	✅Some use structured light and better Laser dToF	✅Ditto
IR left-side obstacle detection				Rare
IR Cliff Detection	No stairs!	✅	✅	✅
Ultrasonic Carpet Detection		✅	✅	✅
Pascal suction maximum	4000-8000	8000-10000	10000-15000	15000 to 30000+
Auto-adjust suction speed		✅	✅	✅
Right Edge Clean whisker	✅	✅	✅ Some have an extendable or articulated	✅ Ditto
Left Edge Clean whisker			Few	Eufy and Narwal
Vacuum Edge Clean	At least a 10cm gap	Ditto	Ditto	Ditto
Mop pad extension on the right side	Some	10mm	10mm Some can do slightly more	Ditto, but some can crabwalk to get the extended mop pad closer.
Mop	Platen.	Platen or rotary pads.	Rotary pads.	Roller or track pad.
Mop lift over carpet		Few. Up to 10mm	Most are 10mm.	Some up to 20mm
Body Lift			Some up to 10mm	Some up to 20mm

Dock

Item	Gen 3	Gen 4	Gen 5	Gen 6
Self-empty dustbin dock	Few	✅	✅	✅
Water and wastewater container		✅	✅	✅
Can be plumbed in			Some	Some
Return to the dock to clean MOP and refill water.		✅	✅	✅
Mop Clean		Cold water	Hot water	Hot water
Hot Air mop dry			Most	All
Floor clean solution dispenser			✅Most	✅Most
Fast Charge (3 hours or less)			✅Most	✅All

App

Item	Gen 3	Gen 4	Gen 5	Gen 6
Basic App	✅			
Fully featured App		✅	✅	
AI				✅
Multi-floor map	✅	✅	✅	✅
Intelligent, clean/mop			Basic AI to return to areas not cleaned	AI to map cleaned areas and camera to return to dirty areas.
Pet programs			Dreame has dedicated pet programs.	AI can help here
Voice control			✅Ecovacs has Yiko with many more commands	✅Most have voice prompts, and some have voice commands.
Area, room clean		Most	✅	✅
Schedule		Most with the option of selecting room order and multiple days	✅ 	✅
Maintenance tracking		✅	✅	✅

Tips for choosing a robovac/mop

What is AI?

The difference between SmartBots and AIBots is a thing called an NPU (numerical processor unit) that can learn, reason and act. Some have the AI power of recent AI smartphones!

It is trained on a ‘cleaning’ LLM (large language model) with millions of scenarios. As it navigates your home, it sees objects, works out the best cleaning strategy, calculates shorter routes and more. Let’s just say it becomes more confident as repetition leads to efficiencies.

AI can be both a blessing and a curse, but thankfully, firmware updates can reduce the latter. For example, some AIBots use a camera and a laser structured light to paint a 2D wireframe or point model of the object. They don’t need to know that it is a ‘cat’, just its shape to avoid it.

But the better ones have 100s of pre-recognised objects, and it is far faster and more efficient to recognise it as a cat and do what it’s programmed to do. Similarly, better AI has dozens of pre-recognised liquid spills (we are talking pet urine and more) and can implement a cleaning routine (lift the body, stop suction, reverse to mop, back to the dock) instead of just avoiding the liquid or, as most do, plough through for an unholy mess inside the robot.

The curse of AI is that it enables more features with less hardware. For example, LiDAR navigation is best, but some AI simply use dToF sensors or cameras and take too long to make assumptions, often seen spinning around on their axis to get room location or taking too wide a berth around obstacles.

AI is here, but it is not there yet!

How do they see?

• Gen 1 Dumbots do not see. They simply bump their way around the area and perform a set cleaning pattern. Don’t bother with these unless low cost is your driver.
• Gen 2 Dimbots use 2D LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging radar) and SLAM (Simultaneous localisation and mapping software). Add to this collision bumper avoidance, and that describes 80% of robovacs. Pro: lower cost. Con: Can damage furniture.
• Gen 3 Averagebots add 2D LiDAR and IR object detection sensors to reduce the need for bumper collision avoidance. Pro: What most people buy who don’t know what Gen 4 and Gen 5 can do.
• Gen 4 Brainybots add 360° 3D LiDAR that can see around the robovac, and up and down, giving it a 3D image. They may also have more sensors (dToF and IR) and an Ultrasonic sensor (for carpet or hard floor detection).
• Gen 5 SmartBots rely on a mix of LiDAR, sensors and, importantly, a camera.
• Gen 6 uses AI to supplement a mix of 360° LiDAR, dTOF, dual or tri structured light, and cameras to become aware of the surrounds. Think of this like Tesla’s self-driving cars!

What are the different shapes?

Most are 35cm round with about a 13-17cm rotating brush supplemented by one (occasionally two) side whisker brushes. They usually have a mop.

Square shapes (Eufy S2) are harder to find and usually have a wider rotating brush that cleans faster. But this is not a big issue as round robovacs are getting faster and more powerful.

How do smarter robovacs know the areas to clean?

During the first setup, the Wi-Fi recharge base station acts as the ‘anchor’ for the robovac to build a quick map from and return to. Home Wi-Fi is typically 2.4Ghz with an effective indoor transmission distance of about 20-30 metres. If the robovac loses the signal, it cannot get home, so make sure you have decent Wi-Fi. Most Gen 5 and 6 are now mesh-aware.

90% of complaints about dropout are due to the cheap routers supplied by so many NBN resellers—see Crappy NBN Modem – here are a few better ones

Gen 4 or later, robovacs use LiDAR or similar to ‘see’ the area and track around all walls and fixed objects like furniture. This is stage one of its map – an outline drawing of your home. This is usually a quick process – a minute per 10m2.

Once the quick map is saved, you can name rooms, set no-go zones, set up schedules and get feedback on cleaning. If you have a multi-story home, you can carry the base station (or buy another) and repeat the process on different floors – most store about four maps.

Gen 6 and 6 have additional smarts to ensure that all areas are clean and that extra dirty ones get more attention.

What do you need to do to prepare for a robovac? Home Prep

Gen 4 or later model robovacs are better at obstacle avoidance, but it is far better to prepare the home first. Let’s put it this way— few we have tested can complete the clean without some issues.

• Remove clothes/shoes/bags from the floor
• Tie up loose cables off the floor
• Lift dining chairs, stools, side tables, and wastebins off the ground
• Lift floor rugs (especially those with tassels) that could tangle in the brush
• Close doors to areas you don’t want to map or clean
• Be aware of blind alleys and under furniture (beds) that they cannot get out of.

Carpet Detection

Gen 1-3 robovacs don’t have carpet detection, so ensure no-go lines are drawn and doors are closed to carpeted areas, or it will mop them. This is a pain if you want to mop a bathroom off a carpeted bedroom.

Carpet detection enables you to select vacuum only for carpets, and some even drop the mop pads.

Most Gen 4 and all Gen 5 and Gen 6 have a carpet detection sensor and will lift the mop pads (usually to 10mm).

Battery Life

Most can go for at least an hour or 100m2 of cleaning. Then they need a recharge – typically 4-6 hours. The better ones restart and continue cleaning if not finished.

Some Gen 5 and 6 have fast charge for around 3 hours. Ecovacs X11 has a super-fast charge when the robovac returns for mop cleaning, which can give more range.

Most have relatively small batteries, 4800mAh, but the better ones have 6400mAh – the higher the better. Most batteries are not easily user-replaceable, but some brands are. Spare batteries are generally around $100-150 and should give at least 500 full charges before retaining 80% charge. That is 10 years at once a week, 5 years, at twice a week and so on.

But it’s not always about battery life. If the robot has a dock, it is also about clean water and dirty water capacity.

Things to look for

Obstacle avoidance

• Gen 4: IR (infrared) sensors and bumper (OK). These tend to bump their way around and can damage furniture. No pet poo or liquid detection.
• Gen 5: Camera (better). Usually supplemented with IR sensors (sometimes called structured light), and object recognition (100 or more objects). Generally capable of recognising down to 50 x 25mm Lego at up to 30cm in front. Smaller objects like cables, shoelaces, etc., may not be seen. The better ones will also detect liquids and take the appropriate measures (See Pets).
• Gen 6: Camera and AI (best). We have found AI can be quite timid and steer a wide berth around objects, but that is firmware fixable. The latest Narwal Flow got as close to obstacles as we have seen. Most have app settings for sensitivity.

Under cupboard overhangs or low furniture

Most robovacs are around 100mm high and usually do not fit under cupboard overhangs or low furniture like beds. Some are now around 80mm and have a turret-less design.

The issue here is that many larger right-side IR sensors see the cupboard as the wall and cannot get close enough. Some use a combination of a small IR side sensor and the bumper, and can get closer.

Carpet lift

Most will lift 10mm, and some up to 20mm over carpet.

In practice, carpet comes in many styles and pile heights.

• Low pile or sisal weave 6mm: 8-10mm lift to avoid the mopping pads
• Medium pile 10mm: 12mm lift needed
• Long pile 20-25mm: A longer pile requires the removal of mopping pads. Roller or track mops need a 20mm lift (at least). Most have an option to vacuum before mopping (keeps the mop dry) – use it.

Sill negotation

Most will get over a 20mm sill. Some can now do 30 or 40mm in one step or more if there are two steps. In practice, all Gen 4, 5 and 6 can do at least 20mm.

Edge vacuum Hard floors and Carpet: Fail

Most have a 13 to 17cm wide rotating brush, and that typically leaves a 10cm gap on either side of a 35cm round robovac. No robovac can vacuum closer than 10cm to an edge.

Some have an extendable right whisker and mop pad, which gets to 2-5mm on hard floors.

But these don’t edge vacuum on hard floors or carpet.

Corner clean – Passable

No round robovac can clean corners – the physics just don’t work. While the extendable right whisker may get some detritus, it is far from efficient. Some also crabwalk to try and get the whiskers and mop closer in.

Vacuum efficiency

Robovacs generally have 5,000 to 30,000 Pascal (Pa) suction power, but frankly, the figure is just about bragging rights. In reality, the rotating brush, in concert with the vacuum and the mop, cleans the floor.

All robovacs are reasonably efficient on hard surfaces, from tiles to laminated timber, but they can be inefficient on carpet. Forget feature carpets or shag pile. Most Gen 1-3 robovacs do very poorly on carpet.

• Hard floors: Gen 1 or later and 5000-10,000 Pa
• Short pile carpet 6mm: Gen 5 or 6 with carpet boost to 20-30,000 Pa.
• Medium Pile carpet 10mm: Ditto, but look for those that have a rotating beating pattern
• Long Pile carpet 20mm: No robovac has the stamina, just as very few stick vacuums do.

Pets

If you have pets, you need to get a Gen 5 or 6 with a pet program and the ability to identify solid pet poo and urine. When they encounter this, the vacuum, rotating brush, and whiskers stop and lift, leaving the mop to handle things. Without this, the mess would be spread through the robovac.

Tests

We use 100g of test detritus, ranging from sand to NutriGrain test efficiency. We don’t count the edges in the test. The results below are for 1 and 2 passes.

• Hardfloors: 80/90% – almost perfect.
• Short pile carpet (5-7mm): Most will only pick up 50-60% on one pass and will get to 60-70% on two passes. Some have managed to get to 80+% Narwal Flow)
• Medium pile (7-10mm): Most will pick up less than short pile unless the rotary brush has a beating action.
• Long pile (10mm+): Few have the power to vacuum.

By comparison, Shark PowerDetect IP3251 stick vacuum with Empty station blows Dyson away gets close to 100%.

The point is that our panel are happy with lower carpet performance because they usually use 2X passes and schedule the robovac to work at least twice weekly.

Rotating brush

There is a real science to rotating brushes. Some use one, some use two that counter-rotate, some have a brush split in the middle, and most have a cutting comb (or similar) to remove pet and human hair. Some have floating brushes and an auto lift. This is far more important for carpets.

The wider the brush, the fewer overlapping passes it needs to make. A 35cm robot with a 13cm brush has 110cm on either side, so it is not able to vacuum in one pass. These require more overlapping passes and will be slower, using more battery.

The majority have the brush between the wheels, but some D-shape have wider brushes in front.

Bushes with both rubber bristles clean more effectively.

Robomops are, at best, a maintenance mop

Platten mops

They typically drag a wet microfibre cloth around that lacks the ‘elbow grease’ needed to remove dried milk/coffee/soft drink stains and cut through grime. Without frequent cleaning, the mop drags dirty water and loses effectiveness. The exception is that some Gen 4 and 5 have vibrating plattens, but this style of mop is out!

Rotating mops

Most Gen 4 and 5 have dual rotating pads and a downward pulsating force to add elbow grease to mopping. Some have extendable right side mop pads and whiskers.

Roller Mops

These either have a full-width roller or an extendable roller. These provide the best mopping experience.

What don’t they do?

No matter what any salesperson or website hypes, a robovac does not substitute for a traditional vacuum or mop. You will still have to vacuum stairs, around edges and under cupboard overhangs. They all fail at carpet edge and corner clean. It comes down to how acceptable that is to you.

Let’s be positive.

Gen 4: It’s best on a hard floor and will vacuum and mop to a maintenance standard. It is not great on carpets. Requires a full home prep.

Gen 5: Capable of unattended whole-of-home cleaning with minimal house prep. Until Gen 6, it was the best you could get.

Gen 6: Also capable of unattended whole-of-home cleaning with little or no home prep. It uses AI to clean, reclean, identify obstacles and determine how best to clean around them. As we are limiting Gen 6 to roller/track mops yo,u will get a deeper clean.

Whole-of-home one-pass clean. Fact or fantasy?

Gen 5 and Gen 6 have a mop/no mop feature and a carpet sensor to lift and turn off mopping/water while on the carpet. In theory, these can do a one-pass clean and mop on a mix of hard and carpeted floors.

Reading

Five tips for choosing a cordless power mop (guide)

CyberShack robovac news and reviews

Resources

• Ecovacs
• Dreame
• Eufy
• Roborock

Five tips for choosing a robovac/mop