Robot vacuums with an arm: what do they do?

Why round robots miss corners

A round robot vacuum cannot get its body into a 90 degree corner, and its mop pads usually sit inside the outline of the body. That leaves a triangle of dust in each corner and a thin strip along skirting boards and furniture legs. Side brushes help by flicking debris inward, but a fixed side brush only reaches so far and does nothing for mopping.

Extending arms tackle this directly. When the robot follows a wall or reaches a corner, the side brush, mop or both move outward on a hinged or sliding arm, then retract for open floor. Some D-shaped robots, with a flat front, solve part of the same problem by shape alone.

Extending side brushes and mops by brand

Each maker uses its own name for the idea, and the details differ: some extend only the mop, some only the side brush, and some both. The table below summarises what the listings say. Our brand comparisons, such as Roborock models compared, Dreame robot vacuums compared and Ecovacs Deebot models compared, go into each range in more detail.

See the best robot vacuum and mops →

Pick-up arms: the robot that tidies

A different kind of arm made headlines when Roborock showed the Saros Z70, a robot vacuum with a folding arm on top designed to pick up small, light items such as socks and move them out of the way before cleaning. It has been widely reported as one of the first mainstream robot vacuums with this kind of arm.

Pick-up arms are still a new and niche feature. What they can lift, how reliably they recognise objects, and whether the model is sold in the UK can all change, so check the maker's own pages for current details rather than relying on early reports. For most homes, a robot with good obstacle avoidance that simply steers round socks and cables does much of the same job; see our obstacle avoidance guide.

Is an extending arm worth having?

Extending arms help most in homes with lots of hard floor, long runs of skirting board, kitchen units with plinths, and dining chairs or table legs. They make the biggest difference to mopping, because a non-extending mop leaves a visible unmopped margin along the walls.

They matter less in mostly carpeted homes, where corners collect less visible dust and there is no mopping. Extending parts are also more moving parts to keep clean: hair and fluff can collect around the hinge, so follow the maker's cleaning schedule.

• Worth it: hard floors, kitchens, lots of edges and furniture legs.
• Less important: mostly carpet, few corners, vacuum-only use.
• Check: whether the arm extends the mop, the brush, or both.
• Maintenance: clean around the arm and side brush regularly.

Arms, height and obstacles

Extending arms are mostly found on premium all-in-one robots, which also tend to have mop washing docks, self-emptying and lidar navigation. Several of them are also slim: the Saros 10R and Dreame X60 Max Ultra are listed at about 8 cm tall according to their listings. If low furniture matters too, see our robot vacuum height explainer.

An extending mop or brush is generally designed to retract when it meets resistance, but very delicate furniture legs or loose cables near walls are best kept clear. Setting a no-go zone around fragile items is a sensible precaution on any robot.

Frequently asked questions

Which Roborock has an arm? According to their listings, the Qrevo 5AE has a FlexiArm extending mop and the Saros 10R has a FlexiArm side brush and mop. The Saros Z70 has been widely reported for its pick-up arm; check Roborock's own pages for current details.

Does Dreame make a robot vacuum with an arm? Yes, in the sense of extending mops and brushes. The X60 Max Ultra listing names RoboSwing MopExtend, and the X50 Ultra and L50 Ultra listings describe an extending side brush and mop.

What is Ecovacs TruEdge? It is Ecovacs' name for extending edge cleaning. On the Deebot T50 Pro Omni the listing says it extends both the side brush and the mop, and on the T80 Omni the roller mop extends towards walls.

Can a robot vacuum arm pick things up? Only on a few specialised models such as the widely reported Roborock Saros Z70. Most robot vacuum arms extend cleaning parts and do not grip objects.