IFA 2026 Previews 2027 Robot Vacuums: Higher Step Climbing, Steam or Mist Cleaning and Sealed Suction

The step-climbing trend continues to push thresholds upward. Dreame's new robot can clear single steps up to 5cm and double steps up to 10cm, TechRadar reported. DJI's Romo 2 can handle a 4cm single hop and a double hop of up to 8.5cm. Roborock's latest flagship, the Saros 20 Flow Complete, can manage double-layer thresholds of up to 8.8cm. TechRadar said such capabilities matter in homes with uneven floors and tall door frames, where a robot that cannot cross a threshold may have its route curtailed.

For wet cleaning, brands are focusing on pretreating dried-on stains with moisture before mopping. Dreame's Aqua20 Pro Ultra Roller X Complete includes a heating element that can blast hard floors with steam at 180°C. TechRadar reported that the process is very energy-intensive, can only be used for zone cleaning, and is likely to require a recharge afterward; the demonstration was also less steamy than expected. Ecovacs' DEEBOT X12S OmniCyclone takes a simpler approach, spraying dried-on stains with what TechRadar assumes is water, under a function called FocusJet stain spray, to give the stain time to loosen before mopping.

iRobot's Roomba Max 875 uses a different method, emitting a heated mist to pretreat mess on hard flooring. Because the robot itself has no active heating element, TechRadar reported that the function has minimal impact on battery life, and in the demonstration it produced a good amount of mist. The article said it had the most hope for this approach among the wet-cleaning methods it saw.

Suction specifications remain competitive, but brands are also seeking ways to increase particle pickup without simply raising suction power. The main solution TechRadar saw at IFA was a seal between the suction inlet and the floor to intensify suction. DJI's Romo 2 has a pressure plate that lowers to improve pickup of ground-in dirt. iRobot's new flagship also has a frame that can be lowered, though TechRadar said that in the demonstration it did not drop as low as expected.

Dyson's R1 and R2 Nurovi robot vacuums use a Twin-capture system. Instead of sealing down the entire suction area, which TechRadar said could cause large particles to snowplough around the seal rather than being sucked up, the design has a large, open brush bar area for chunky debris and a separate area above it for fine dust. The latter is sealed to the floor to concentrate suction. TechRadar reported that the robot vacuum market continues to move quickly, with most brands releasing multiple models each year, and that it will watch how the 2027 features perform in real-world testing.