SwitchBot’s Multitasking Household Robot K20 Plus is a home-cleaning sentry

SwitchBot, the company behind the ingenuity robotic fingers that pushes the buttons for you, has just debuted the closest thing to a real Rosie the Robot.

U Multitasking domestic robot SwitchBot K20 Plus Pro is a version of SwitchBot mini robot sucker which attaches to a new “FusionPlatform” – a circular device on wheels that sits on top of the robot and connects to various SwitchBot devices.

Once attached with three mechanical claws, the robot pushes the platform around, allowing it to deliver items around your home, acting as a security camera with SwitchBot. pan/tilt camPurify the air with the SwitchBot Air Purifieror provide spot refreshment his fan. It can also turn your phone or tablet into a selfie stick, and SwitchBot says the platform will be compatible with third-party devices. The company also plans to add more features, including a mechanical arm.

The robot can do all these tasks autonomously using automations set up in the SwitchBot app – like “purify the air upon entering a room”, or you can control it with the app or with voice commands through Alexa , Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri Shortcuts.

The robot navigates via a map created by the lidar-equipped device, and SwitchBot says it has “centimeter-level accuracy for avoiding obstacles and navigating tight spaces” and “moves stably and effortlessly over barriers of every day”.

The platform has several power ports, including USB-C, so, in theory, you can plug anything into it – although it has a weight limit of just under 18 pounds (8 kg). SwitchBot says the FusionPlatform can work with “custom attachments, 3D printed components, and third-party devices with multiple power ports for speakers, car refrigerators, or even UV sterilization lamps.”

A teaser image the company released shows a larger robot with the addition of a robotic arm, with an asterisk saying, “The mechanical arm is still in development.” There is also the option of a combo base station for the K20 Plus Pro, which adds a vac stick, which allows you to summon the robot and make a quick touch with the portable vacuum cleaner. If that mechanical arm ever comes to fruition, maybe the robot can take over that job for you, too. That would bring her much closer to her Rosie aspirations.

This modular approach seems smart, and while no price has been announced, it should keep costs down. Rather than spending years and a lot of money to develop a humanoid robot to try to imitate human actions, adding mobility to existing devices feels more achievable.

In use, it will involve more human interaction – you’ll presumably need to remove the air purifier and replace it with the fan when you want to cool it – but it still feels like something people would use in their homes. Without the ability to climb stairs, it will be quite limited in my three-story house, but I’m still looking forward to trying it.

Switchbot plans to launch the K20 Plus Pro in May or June 2025 in customized kits for all the different functions – bundling the vacuum with a circulating fan to form the K20 Plus Pro Air Flow Kit, or K20 Plus Pro Combo with the SwitchBot air. cleaner to make up the K20 Plus Pro Omni Clean Kit, or combining all of the above for the SwitchBot K20 Plus Pro Omni Ultimate Kit.

SwitchBot also announced the SwitchBot S20 Pro this week, which is also expected to launch in May or June. The successor of the S10, one of our favorite cleaning robot vacuum cleanersthe S20 adds an extendable roller mop and a side brush to help the robot mop and vacuum in harder-to-reach areas like corners and along walls. The S20 also has 15,000Pa of suction power, up from 6,500Pa on the S10.

U SwitchBot S10 was one of the first robot mop vacuums to feature plumbing fittings, allowing the drainage and filling of its on-board water tanks via a compact battery-powered water station. (It has a separate self-emptying charging dock). While the S20 is compatible with the water station, which does not require an outlet, so it has more versatile placement options, the robot comes with the choice of two all-in-one self-emptying base stations: one with a regular water tank. it fills manually or one that can be hooked to your plumbing. The S20 also works with SwitchBot Evaporative humidifier and can be programmed to automatically recharge the humidifier when out of water.

SwitchBot has confirmed that the K20 Plus Pro (vacuum part) and the S20 will support it The matter on Wi-Fimaking them compatible with Apple Home, Amazon AlexaSamsung SmartThings, and any other platform that supports robot vacuum cleaners in Matter.