The World’s First Carpet-Washing Modular Robot Vacuum Might Come From an Unknown Startup I Saw at CES
Robot vacuum cleaners can clean carpets with suction, and many of them can also clean hard floors. But no robot vacuum cleaner is capable of cleaning carpets with water like a carpet cleaner is, due to the complications of needing specialized cleaning brushes and solutions.
The Robotin R2, a product from a startup, attempts to solve this problem, and the solution is remarkably simple in its simplicity. Simply replace the entire front of the robot vacuum with a new modular accessory.
The modules slide mechanically. To remove them, simply press on the clips to release them.
I watched the Robotin R2 at CES 2026 as it successfully washed a small strip of carpet. I even touched the panel to check. The company said the units are currently in trial production following a successful Kickstarter campaign. Early backers are expected to receive their units between March and April 2026. Mass production for the general public is expected to take place between April and June 2026.
The Robotin R2 has separated from its carpet cleaning module. You can insert the dry cleaning module if you want to vacuum instead.
The robot consists of a central robotic unit and two modules: a deep suction module for regular vacuuming on different floor types, and a carpet washing and drying module specifically for cleaning carpets.
The base station is also massive and includes a self-emptying trash can, a 2.4-gallon clean water tank, and a 1.6-gallon dirty water tank that also recycles water. The entire unit measures 31.73 inches in height, 18.46 inches in width, and 25.33 inches in length. This makes it as big and bulky as a portable air conditioner, so it will take up a lot of space and probably isn’t practical in a smaller apartment.
The R2 has a massive base station with two clean water tanks, one dirty water tank and a large trash can. It takes up a lot of space.
Replacing one module with another seemed relatively simple. I watched one of the staff members at the booth do it by simply inserting and removing one. I was also able to try it out myself and found it relatively easy to use.
The carpet washing section uses a mixture of water and cleaning solution; however, for the purposes of the demo, they only used water, as I was able to confirm by touching it that it was indeed wet. It can clean carpet up to 400 square feet in about an hour, using water and suction.
The base station makes most maintenance hands-free, but I really can’t get over how big it is in person.
Jimson Zhu, partner and vice president of product, informed me that it will take about 60 minutes to clean the space and about 2 hours to dry, which isn’t bad considering how long it takes to wash your rug and wait for it to dry.
Underneath, the R2 has a carpet cleaning brush and a section that circulates dry air to dry the carpet after cleaning.
After washing, the drying process begins, which involves circulating hot air heated to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. There are humidity sensors to monitor humidity levels and the drying process. Robotin claims to have a dozen sensors and AI navigation for its cleaning and mapping, as well as an app. For regular cleaning of hard floors, it cleans with hot water up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit and dries with hot air.
The R2 takes an hour to wash a rug and about two hours to dry it.
The company says this process happens largely without manual intervention. After seeing it in action, I can confirm that it is at least functional. He managed to navigate the narrow square of mats on the table without falling off the edge.
The R2 supports mapping, obstacle avoidance, and all the key features you need from a robot vacuum.
It supports app control and mapping features including cliff detection, obstacle avoidance, and lidar navigation. It can also cross thresholds of up to 2 centimeters, which is an increasingly standard feature these days and isn’t particularly impressive next to robot vacuums like the Dreame X50 Ultra, which can cross thresholds of 2 inches and above, not to mention the leg-equipped Saros Rover.
That said, as a vacuum, it seems pretty capable on paper, with 115 air watts of suction and an anti-tangle brush. The docking station has a 2-liter trash can, which should last you up to two months without needing to empty it.
A close-up of one of the R2’s modules and how it connects to the rest of the unit.
Zhu also informed me that in the future, Robotin plans to introduce additional modules, including a robotic arm module that resembles the Roborock Saros Z70allowing it to pick up items in your house. Presumably additional attachments can be added, and potentially even performance improvements.
This is a unique robot vacuum that I am definitely looking forward to trying later.
