Stairs are the enemy of robot vacuums. There isn’t currently a single robot vacuum on the market that can climb a flight of stairs without human assistance. Even the best robot vacuums we recommend for their ability to cross obstacles, like the Dreame X50 Ultra and Roborock Saros Z70, can only handle thresholds between two and three inches.
Eufy’s Marswalker may be the first robot vacuum to truly be able to tackle this problem. It’s a robot vacuum that looks a bit like a wheeled Mars rover with a tracked drive, the “smart crawler platform,” that allows it to ascend and descend staircases. Eufy demonstrated the feature for me in a video, and describes the platform as “four independently controlled arms” with a track-drive system that grips each step as it climbs. It’s also at Eufy’s IFA booth in Berlin for a live demo, where our colleague Andrew Gebhart from sister site PCMag was able to see it in action.
Our colleague at PCMag, Andrew Gebhart, was able to see a live demo of the Marswalker taking on stairs. Andrew Gebhart/PCMag
Eufy Marswalker
Now, the Marswalker isn't a robot vacuum in its own right, but it does allow other compatible robots to hitch a ride inside its shell. Eufy notes that the Marswalker is compatible with its new Omni S2 robot vacuum, which the company claims is the first with an intelligent aromatherapy system. The vacuum releases fragrances like bamboo, sage, bergamot, lychee, citrus, and basil as it cleans your home.
Andrew Gebhart at PCMag described how it works:
"The Marswalker looks something like a NASA rover, with a gap in the middle of its central frame big enough for a vacuum to tuck in," said Gebhart. "The Marswalker opens its fold-out front doors, and the S2 drives up into a central compartment before the doors close again to secure the S2 in place. Then the Marswalker does its job and climbs or descends a staircase. Its big, rugged wheels do most of the work, but it extends bracers from all four corners that look a bit like antennas and seem to provide extra insurance against tumbles. Once at the top or bottom, the Marswalker retracts the bracers and opens its doors again so that the S2 can be on its way while the Marswalker waits for the return trip."
It's also worth noting that the Marswalker doesn’t clean the staircase itself while climbing, but it can get to a different floor without human assistance, which is huge. Eufy says the Marswalker is fully autonomous and will automatically detect when one floor is finished being cleaned and will climb to the next one without human intervention.
The Marswalker can work autonomously, recongizing stairs and navigating them without human intervention. Eufy
Eufy says the robot will automatically recognize common stair types, including straight, L-shaped and U-shaped stairs, as it builds a 3D map of the entire home. After traveling up a flight of stairs for cleaning, the Marswalker can automatically return to its dock to empty and recharge.
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