Roborock Sends the First Robot Vacuum to Space

Reach for the stars. The Roman poet Virgil is credited with mentioning this idea centuries ago in his epic poem, The Aeneid. Another writer, Percy Greg, first used the word astronaut in reference to a spaceship in his 1880 book Across the Zodiac—and now, technology of a different kind has made its way into orbit: Roborock recently reached new heights when it launched one of its robot vacuum cleaners into the vacuum of space.

You read that right. The event marked the culmination of Roborock’s extensive “Cleaning Beyond Limits” marketing campaign that led up to Roborock’s new S8 MaxV Ultra model becoming the first-ever robot vacuum in space.

The historic launch was made possible by Sent Into Space, a British company founded by two engineers who managed to turn their passion for science, technology, and cinematography into a fun way to promote aerospace education and research—and to create out-of-this-world videos. 

“This concept came from our keen desire to showcase Roborock’s engineering excellence in a unique way,” the company tells Mental Floss in a statement. “Roborock has always aimed to push the boundaries of smart cleaning technology, and sending the S8 MaxV Ultra into space was the ultimate demonstration of its durability and performance.” 

It all started with challenging Roborock’s status quo: Why stop at making the best robot vacuum in the world when you can create the greatest robot vacuum in the universe?

Next came a series of videos on Roborock’s Instagram account, presenting a futuristic, tongue-in-cheek look at how a fictional team of scientists based in the Beyond Limits Laboratory, located “somewhere in the Arctic Circle,” came up with the idea for the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra. 

The ultimate cleaning product is soon invented in a moment reminiscent of Frankenstein, and is shown taking care of everyday messes ranging from excessive dog hair to the aftermath of an epic house party. After completing the cleaning test checklist in each video, the scientists eventually determine it’s time to send it up to take on the final frontier.

So how did they actually send a robot vacuum to space? The folks at Sent Into Space used a custom-built, environmentally-friendly stratospheric balloon, and the power of ultra-light hydrogen gas, to fly the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra up to roughly 110,000 feet, or 33.5 kilometers. At this height, it entered Near Space, the point above the gas of Earth’s atmosphere where humans need pressurized suits to survive. The journey took about 1.5 hours. The company made some modifications to the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra so that once it hit its target height, it could be activated to give space a bit of a scrub. 

When the balloon reached its maximum diameter, which is around the height of the White House, the balloon popped and parachuted back down to the landing spot; the descent took another hour. Sent Into Space carefully calculates the path of ascent—traveling through restricted airspace is a no-no—and the landing spot must be far from areas with a lot of buildings or roads. The robot vacuum returned to earth fully functional.

“Watching our vacuum 120,000 feet above Earth was an incredible moment, symbolizing how far Roborock has come in redefining the smart home experience,” the company states. “Including temperatures dropping below -60°C—an environment that would typically cause inferior batteries to lose charge or motors to freeze. We’ve truly proven that our vacuum’s quality and durability can endure even the extreme cold of Near Space, demonstrating our commitment to excellence.”

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has officially gone where no robot vacuum has gone before, and thanks to features like its FlexiArm Design Side Brush and Extra Edge Mopping System, it can get into hard to reach areas of your home, too. With built-in obstacle recognition software to detect pets, furniture, and other items that might get in the way, LiDAR that maps your home with precision, and the ability to check in with it via voice-automated technology—all you have to do is say “Hey Rocky” to activate this nifty feature—keeping your home clean is merely an afterthought instead of being the focus of your whole day. Why should you spend any of your precious time and energy cleaning your floors when you don’t necessarily need to?

Think of what else you could be doing with all the time you won’t spend vacuuming and mopping. Enjoy some quality time with loved ones, meet up with friends you haven’t seen in a while, or go for a nice long walk to clear your head. Or, if you’re feeling inspired by Roborock’s trip to space, geek out and do a marathon of all your favorite sci-fi flicks while your robot vacuum takes care of the rest.

Want to take your cleaning beyond limits? Pick up Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra. The combination robot vacuum and mop is equipped with a FlexiArm Design Side Brush and Extra Edge Mopping System, which helps it get into corners and other hard to reach areas, ensuring a thorough clean, as well as a voice assistant that will jumpstart cleaning tasks—no WiFi necessary. You can get the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra on Roborock’s official website.