IFA 2026: DJI unveils Romo 2 robot vacuum, iRobot shows Roomba Duo concept

According to TechRadar, the Romo 2 comes in two versions: the transparent and semi-translucent P2 and the opaque A2. DJI said the P2 is "not just a cleaning tool, [but] an elegant, semi-translucent piece of future-forward home decor." TechRadar's reporter said the design resembles Apple's late-1990s iMac G3, while the exposed tubes and mechanisms give it a biomechanical look reminiscent of HR Giger. The company says the robot's navigation combines a structured-light speckle projector LiDAR with dual-eye fisheye vision sensors to create real-time 3D maps, allowing it to avoid obstacles as thin as 2mm and glide around mirrors and glass partitions. The Romo 2 also has pop-out wheels to climb steps up to 8.5cm tall and a mop pad that swings out 123 degrees to clean under low furniture. An AI feature distinguishes solid and liquid spills, using the mop arm for liquids without wetting the wheels.

TechRadar noted that privacy is a major selling point after a security incident with the first Romo in which one owner accidentally gained access to about 7,000 other users' devices. The Romo 2 offers a Local Data Mode that completely severs the internet connection for the DJI Home app, which DJI says keeps home maps, camera feeds and voice recordings inaccessible from the outside.

iRobot's presentation, reported by The Verge, showed a heavy-duty machine that combines a large floor-washing robot with the smaller Roomba Plus 757. The main unit, described by iRobot's Adam Pope as the most powerful the company has made, sweeps and mops large areas, uses a steam mop with 46 newtons of downward pressure, and can also handle solid messes; a demo showed it sucking up pasta from a carpet before washing the carpet. When the machine nears tables, corners or other narrow spots, a mechanical arm lowers the smaller Roomba to clean those spaces. The Duo also serves as an autonomous mobile dock, carrying clean and dirty water tanks and a dust bag, and uses lidar and camera-based navigation to map the home and detect dirt.

The Verge noted that the mechanical arm worked smoothly and relatively quickly in its demo, but the reporter wrote that the machine resembles commercial cleaning bots found in hotels or malls, and she raised long-term durability concerns. The Duo is still a concept, with no price or release date, and iRobot's new CEO Hao Li told attendees at IFA that "The future of floor care has a familiar name." Li is from Picea, iRobot's parent company, which purchased iRobot out of bankruptcy earlier this year. Pope said the company will consider feedback on the concept as it continues development.