Xiaomi launches new robot cleaner to rival Roomba

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has added one more product to its growing range of smart gadgets, with a robot vacuum cleaner to rival iRobot’s Roomba.

The cleaning robot, called Mi Robot Vacuum, is being launched with a price tag of 1,699 yuan (HK$1,974) and will go on sale September 6, Xiaomi’s co-founder and vice president Liu De said at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

The Mi Robot Vacuum looks like the Roomba, a well-known US brand of autonomous vacuum but beats it on price - a similar model in the Roomba range costs 5,699 yuan on Chinese e-commerce websites.

By giving the product high-end specifications and an affordable price, Xiaomi is applying the same strategy it takes in selling smartphones.

Liu said the vacuum robot boasts two technologies - a laser distance sensor and simultaneous localization and mapping – that allow the robot to scan its surroundings, map the layout of a room and calculate the best cleaning path.

The vacuum cleaner is powered by a 5,200 mAh battery which Xiaomi claims is enough for up to 2.5 hours of use per charge - enough to clean a room measuring 250 square meters.