For years, robot vacuum cleaners have had an enemy that they could not avoid with artificial intelligence, sensors or greater suction power: steps. A room could be perfectly mapped and a robot could recognize hundreds of objects, but it only took one step too steep for its world to end there. The usual solution was simple: pick him up and carry him to the next room. And we are not talking about a step, rather a ladder.
Roborock has been overcoming the first for years and now faces the second barrier. At IFA 2026, has presented its new Saros 20 Flow Complete and Saros 20 Neo, two robot vacuum cleaners designed to function in especially complex homes.and has also shown the Saros Rover, a much more ambitious device that takes the mobility of these robots to a hitherto practically unexplored territory: stairs.
Let’s go in parts. The Saros 20 Flow Complete represents the evolution of the traditional architecture of these devices. Its ultra-slim design, only 8.98 centimeters high, allows it to fit under low furniture, while The AdaptiLift Traverse 3.0 system modifies the height of the chassis to overcome unevenness of up to 8.8 centimeters. This means that a robot that would normally stop at a small step or threshold can raise its structure and continue the journey.
It’s not just about going further. The Saros 20 Flow Complete combines that mobility with considerable cleaning capacity. Its aspiration system reaches 36,000 Pa and the LiDAR navigation RetractSense generates detailed maps of the environment. Reactive AI, for its part, can identify more than 300 types of obstacles, from everyday objects to elements that could interrupt your journey.
Scrubbing also seeks to reduce user intervention. The SpiraFlow 2.0 system uses a roller mop that exerts up to 15 N of pressure on the floor, rotating at 240 revolutions per minute and has 16 pressurized water outlets. The combination is designed to tackle tough stains in a single pass. Even the edges receive specific attention. The two side brushes with arc elevation are designed to expand coverage and reach virtually the entire surface along walls and obstacles. And, as is increasingly the case with high-end robot vacuum cleaners, much of the work continues when the device returns to its base. The station can wash the mop with 100°C water and automatically dispense detergent, reducing maintenance tasks that normally fall on the owner.
Meanwhile, the Saros 20 Neo shares much of this philosophy, but places even more emphasis on mobility within architecturally complex homes. Your AdaptiLift 3.0 p systemIt allows you to overcome double-layer thresholds of up to 8.8 centimeters, while its access height is reduced to 7.95 centimeters. This combination allows it to overcome some obstacles and, at the same time, get under furniture where other robots cannot reach.
It also incorporates a 36,000 Pa HyperForce suction and a double system designed to prevent hair from tangling in the brushes. Its mopping system applies up to 14 N of pressure and uses hot water, while the base washes the mop at 100 °C. The battery, according to Roborock, allows you to cover surfaces of up to almost 350 square meters without interruptions.
Both models are also part of the Saros and F25 series that have received the “Allergy Friendly” certification from ECARF, the European Center for Allergy Research Foundation. The seal introduces another element in the evolution of these devices: it is not only important how much dust or dirt they can collect, but also how they contribute to maintaining the conditions of the home environment. Mainly taking into account that in Spain there are more than one million people with allergies and asthma. But if the Saros 20 tries to overcome the small differences in level that separate some areas of the house from others, the Saros Rover directly poses a different question: why shouldn’t a robot vacuum cleaner be able to climb stairs?
The device, which makes its European debut at IFA 2026 after having been presented worldwide at CES, combines wheels and legs in a completely different architecture than a conventional robot vacuum cleaner. Its legs can be raised and lowered independently, allowing it to modify your position to overcome obstacles and face slopes.
The fundamental difference is that the Rover does not understand a home as a single flat surface. Using motion sensors and three-dimensional spatial data, the robot can interpret the changes in height of your environment and move between different plants. In the case of stairs, the proposal is even more striking: you can make the transition between floors by cleaning the steps individually.
That radically changes the map of what a home robot can do. Until now, a staircase was not simply an area that was difficult to clean: it was a border. A robot vacuum cleaner could clean the living room and hallway, but it needed a person to physically move it to the upper floor and, in any case, it couldn’t handle the steps themselves. The Saros Rover aims precisely against that limitation. Its combination of wheels and legs attempts to provide the robot with mobility more similar to that of a human being.capable of changing level, adapting to the terrain and continuing cleaning without the user having to intervene.
And perhaps therein lies the most interesting part of the new generation of Roborock. The evolution of these devices no longer seems to depend solely on achieving more suction power. The 36,000 Pa of the Saros 20 are a considerable figure, but The most relevant technological leap may be elsewhere: allowing the robot to go where it could not reach before.. If the traditional robot vacuum cleaner needed the house to adapt to it, the new generation tries to do just the opposite: let the robot learn to adapt to the house. And, in this case, literally, go up one more step.