Samsung’s new robot vacuum can steam clean your floors

Samsung is finally bringing out a new version of its Jet Bot robot vacuum, which was last updated in 2021. The Bespoke Jet Bot Combo will be on show at CES 2024 and is the first combination of robot vacuum and mop from the Korean electronics giant. (The company has a standalone robot mop, the Jetbot Mop.)

Samsung hasn’t announced a price (the previous model, the Jet Bot AI Plus, costs $1,300) or a release date. And it sounds like the robot’s features aren’t finalized yet (Samsung’s press release says the robot is “currently in development,” and its features are subject to change). But here’s a look at what the new robot vacuum might be capable of, according to Samsung.

The Bespoke Jet Bot Combo is a robot vacuum and mop with a round form factor and a self-emptying, self-cleaning charging base called the Clean Station. This empties the robot’s bin and refills its water tank while washing and drying its two spinning mop pads.

The clean station supplies a 3-step Total Cleaning System for mop pads, which includes auto wash, steam cleaning and auto dry with hot air. After it washes the mops with hot water heated by high temperature steam, it then sprays steam on them to prevent odors, enabling more hygienic maintenance.

This steam cleaning function is unique among robot vacuums, and Samsung says it can also be applied to the mops when the robot encounters dried stains on hard floors.

According to the press release, when the vacuum detects a stain, it will go back to the clean station, heat the mop pads with high-temperature steam and water, and then go clean up the mess with its 170 RPM spinning mops.

As with most high-end robot vacuums, the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo uses artificial intelligence to help it navigate your home. First introduced on the Jet Bot AI Plus, Samsung’s AI technology powers the robot’s obstacle avoidance, meaning it can recognize common household items and avoid them where necessary.

The Combo has upgraded object recognition and, according to Samsung, can recognize more household objects than its predecessor, as well as recognize different spaces in your home and spot stains on the floors. A new 3D sensor allows for “more precise driving.”

The robot’s intelligence also extends to floor types. A feature called AI Floor Detect allows it to distinguish between hard floors and carpeting, and it can determine whether to lift its mop pads to go over carpets or go back to the base and remove them before vacuuming rugs.

This mop removal feature is a new trick that only one other robot vacuum also does (the DreameBot L20 Ultra). In my testing of the DreameBot, I found this feature very effective for ensuring your floors get both swept and mopped in one run without you having to manually remove the mop pads or worry about the vacuum messing up your rugs or carpets with wet mop pads.

Samsung hasn’t provided any detailed specs for the vacuum, such as runtime, battery size, roller brush type, dust bin, and water tank capacity, or whether this vacuum has a camera on board like the Jet Bot AI Plus. The Verge will be on the ground at CES next week, and we’ll make sure to get some hands-on time with the new bot to find out more.