Ecovacs set their sights on Australian smart homes

Fergus Halliday (PC World) on 08 March, 2018 13:03

Ecovacs Robotics has released its latest market research findings and detailed plans to bring its Deebot Ozmo 930, 610 and R98 vacuum and cleaning robots to Australian households.

“We have a vision of a robot helping every Australian family, freeing up time from cumbersome chores such as window and floor cleaning that will enable people to do more of what they love. With 500 world-class R&D employees, a strong and ongoing commitment to R&D and a presence in over 40 markets, it’s fantastic that we are now able to introduce Ecovacs Robotics into Australia and we are very hopeful that Australians will embrace the innovation that we are introducing,“ said Damian Commane, Country Manager ANZ for Ecovacs Robotics.

Ecovacs’ market research found that, among other things, 64% of people would openly embrace robotics to help clean the home if it meant saving them time. This number increased to 74% for those aged 30-39 years. They also found that 58% of surveyed people said they didn’t need to understand how the technology works, so long as it does the job and saved them time.

Off the back of all this number-crunching, the company is readying four smart cleaning products for market.

According to Commane, “the end goal however is simple – to save a significant amount time spent on household chores and help deliver time back to busy Aussie families. In the end, all of the research and effort put into creating the advanced features you will find in an Ecovacs Robotics solution are ultimately designed to give people time back to do the things they love with the people they love.“

Shown at this year’s CES, Ecovacs' 2018 range will offer easy integration with both Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant and Google Home - allowing users to intuitively control their robot’s cleaning routine using their voice.

The Deebot Ozmo 930 comes ready to both vacuuming and mopping of floors in one cycle. It’s priced at $1299. Ecovacs say that it’s smart enough to scan, maps, and plan an efficient cleaning path through your home. They also say it boasts built-in anti-drop sensors and Obstacle Detection Technology that allows it to freely clean around stairs and furniture without the risk of falling or being damaged.

By comparison, the Deebot Ozmo 610 is priced a little cheaper at $899. It comes equipped for mopping and sweeping. In addition, Ecovacs say that users will be able specify between four different cleaning modes. For example, Auto Mode is said to the be best for general daily cleaning while Max vacuum is supposed to be ideal for stubborn floor messes.

These two robotic vacuums will come accompanied by the Deebot R98, which bundles together a robotic vacuum cleaner with a more traditional hand-held cordless solution. This one is priced at $1399.

The company’s new Winbot X was also confirmed for an Australian launch, though a local RRP has not been detailed. First announced at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, the Winbot X is a robotic window cleaner adapts to the size of your window, moving intelligently and safely during its 4-stage cleaning process.