Switchbot just showed the "Bots of Tomorrow". Is this the future we want?

dsmonteiro

Hey, everyone,

Part of their CES2025 announcements, SwitchBot just unveiled their “Bot of Tomorrow,” the K20+ Pro. In short, it’s a robot vacuum as the ones you already know but with a twist. It can combine with a module that adds functionality. In this video, you can see a few of the functionalities the modules allow — a mobile air purifier, a tray that brings you stuff, or a security camera that roams around.

I may be missing something here, but these don’t make any sense whatsoever. A tray still requires someone to put stuff on it, a moving camera hardly does anything that a well-positioned fixed camera can do (at a fraction of the cost), and a moving air purifier is the worst of the bunch.

But let’s see what the HeyUp Community feels about it. Are these the Bots of Tomorrow?

Menguelez

dsmonteiro Yeah! This make sense 💪😉

Wandar

dsmonteiro with this robot you don’t need to worry about bread cramps on the flow, not even dust. It helps to insure cleanliness in your house at all time.

Rives333R

dsmonteiro

These are technologies that will be improved, the air purifier is useful for those who have respiratory problems and can be moved from one room to another as required, ETC.

Yamilion

dsmonteiro A very huge robot, I don’t even know what it’s for, unless it’s for large rooms 3 in 1

dsmonteiro

Menguelez haha, that’s the spirit!

How would you use it, though? How do you see this being a part of your smart home?

Menguelez

dsmonteiro I think I would use the camera that moves to see what my pet is doing while I clean the rooms.

dsmonteiro

Menguelez but isn’t that whole bot overkill for that? I guess you could do that with the built-in camera of most modern vacuums.

dsmonteiro

Wandar but that’s true with any vacuum robot. What does the added module on this one add in that regard?

dsmonteiro

Rives333R granted, regarding the improvements over time, and there may even be future modules that make sense to me, but these ones? I just don’t see the point of having all of this bulky hardware for features that don’t add much.

Regarding the air purifier, what would be the reason to move it from one room to another? When you buy an air purifier, the point should be improving the air of the whole house, not on a room-by-room basis.

They also show an example with a multi-purpose robot arm picking up litter. This can be a more future-proof scenario, provided AI evolves enough for the arm to be effective on its own.

Doug

This would unlock future cleaning robot designs but isn’t it kind of pointless(not to be rude)? Cameras could be installed in every room making sure that every room is safe 24/7, if the robot is in a room with cameras then what could it advance in the field of vision? Or if the rooms doesn’t have cameras and a robber breaks in, all they have to do is to avoid the robot and they’ll have free range of the the unoccupied area. The tray makes sense, I can see some pros and cons of this, some pros are that you don’t have to get up to get stuff, but if you need something that is not already on the tray then it would be useless because it doesn’t have arms or claws.

dsmonteiro

Doug yeah, that’s pretty much my take. It’s a concept that can be extended to something that makes sense, but the current “add-ons” feel like a rushed brainstorm session turned into a product.

Lilith_Anderson

dsmonteiro cada vez son más los robots especialmente diseñados para esto, totalmente de acuerdo con la idea ✨

dsmonteiro

Lilith_Anderson I’m not against robot for the home, but what purpose does this one in specific has?

Lilith_Anderson

dsmonteiro directamente en ayuda, muchos son así

dsmonteiro

Lilith_Anderson but all the bots shared by SwitchBot in this case are “single-purpose.” It’s either a moving tray, or a moving purifier, or a moving security camera.

None of them really do something that isn’t being done already without the need of a robot.

Lilith_Anderson

dsmonteiro estás pidiendo una opinión no una solución a tu pregunta, aún que directamente si haya respuesta no e la finalidad de tu post, pues dices que quieres que opinemos, cuál es tu punto entonces ?

dsmonteiro

Lilith_Anderson it’s called having a conversation. You made a point, I answered to it.

My original question was about these robots.

You said these robots made sense, I am following up by asking how do these exact models make sense to you. What’s the issue in doing that? In having a conversation?

Ivyisme

I believe this falls into the ‘half-ready’ product category. I’ve noticed many companies entering the smart home space, with the ultimate goal of building robotic solutions, as they see it as the future. Investors are likely drawn to these kinds of stories. For example, companies like Tenco and Dreame, which focus on robotic vacuums, may have a bigger vision centered around robotics. When I first saw SwitchBot’s product, I wondered if their goal was to promote an all-in-one smart home solution, given the range of products they’re involved in. While they have brought several products together, the concept of a home service robot to meet diverse needs seems a bit bulky at the moment. The Roborock Saros Z70, which launched at CES, also features robotic arm functionality, showing the ambition to develop a comprehensive robotic home service.

Maybe we should invite their product team member to answer this concept to see whether this original idea.

Should we have a tag to discuss the product you see as innovative or it kind of Is it innovation or just a fantasy:)

dsmonteiro

Ivyisme it’s definitely interesting and I would love to hear their take on this.

The way you put it - “half-ready” - makes sense to me, a sort of ready-to-market prototype.

There’s some interest for sure, looking at the conversation in this thread.

For me, the issue is the practical use of these models rather than the concept itself. A robot arm module for example would fit perfectly with their mission. A “finger bot” for the home. 😂

Lilith_Anderson

dsmonteiro entiendo ahora más, para mí son los que nos siguen brindando ayuda en lo doméstico y en lo que ellos puedan debido a sus capacidades y restricciones