DJI’s first robot vacuum cleans everything except US floors

DJI’s brand-new Romo series of smart robot vacuums is finally being released outside of the Chinese market. But none of them are coming to the US.

The Romo lineup launched in China back in August 2025 and is now making its international debut, but only across Europe, with initial sales in Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. Americans, once again, will be watching from the sidelines as DJI dives headfirst into yet another new product category.

And that’s a shame. Because this may be DJI’s most interesting product pivot in years… not because it’s a vacuum, but because it shows how much of the company’s drone DNA is now being applied to the ground.

At first glance, the Romo looks like a typical high-end robotic cleaner. But beneath its minimalist design is some of DJI’s most advanced navigation technology, the same kind that helps its drones dodge trees and buildings midair.

Each Romo features millimeter-level obstacle sensing powered by dual fisheye vision sensors and solid-state LiDAR, creating a 360° awareness of its environment. The result? The Romo can spot — and avoid — things as small as a playing card. Thanks to the same kind of machine learning algorithms DJI uses in its drones, it can recognize household obstacles like charging cables, table legs, and even pet bowls in real time.

And it’s not just about dodging things. Romo’s AI path-planning algorithms are derived straight from DJI’s drone mapping expertise, allowing it to generate efficient cleaning routes that leave no corner untouched. Think of it as your drone’s flight map — but for your living room floor.

New: Insta360 launches new 8K X4 Air camera as sales skyrocket 90%

The DJI Romo lineup: P, A, and S

DJI’s first robot vacuum family includes three models — Romo P, Romo A, and Romo S — with prices starting at €1,299 and topping out at €1,899.

• Romo P, the flagship, features a transparent body and base station that proudly show off DJI’s precision engineering inside. It includes real-time extendable arms that can reach into corners, a dual-mop system with automatic washing and drying, odor elimination, and 55W fast charging that fills its battery in just 2.5 hours.
• Romo A sits in the middle, offering the same intelligent path planning and strong suction power (up to 25,000 Pascals) but fewer self-maintenance luxuries.
• Romo S is the most affordable model but still inherits the same obstacle avoidance tech and smart cleaning algorithms that make the series stand out.

Each model connects with the DJI Home app, where users can set customized cleaning zones, use “no-go” areas, and even view and update their home map in real time — a feature that hints at DJI’s deep experience in visual SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping).

The Romo’s base station also handles most of the dirty work. It washes mop pads, flushes debris through a large waste outlet, and keeps the system running for up to 200 days maintenance-free. Meanwhile, noise reduction chambers make sure it doesn’t sound like a jet engine taking off — a nice touch from a drone maker.

The vacuum that thinks like a drone

Under the hood, Romo is a fascinating mix of drone and domestic tech. Its twin high-torque motors deliver strong suction and tangle-free cleaning — even for pet hair — while real-time sensors dynamically adjust its cleaning pattern and brush rotation to prevent debris scatter.

It even has extendable arms that physically reach into corners or under cabinets — an almost sci-fi touch you won’t find on most other robot vacuums.

And yes, DJI thought of pets: Romo’s “pet area mode” reduces brush speed to avoid startling animals and prevents fur scatter while boosting suction where needed.

If that sounds overengineered for a vacuum, that’s because it is. But it’s also peak DJI — precision robotics applied to everyday life.

For longtime DJI watchers, this pivot doesn’t come out of nowhere. The company has spent the past few years branching out from drones — first with Osmo action cameras, then Ronin cinema gear, Mic microphones, portable power stations, and even an electric bike.

So a robot vacuum? It’s less a random experiment and more an inevitable step in DJI’s evolution from a drone company to a robotics powerhouse. Every product it makes — whether it flies, films, or now cleans — is powered by the same mix of sensors, stabilization systems, efficient motors, and intelligent algorithms.

The timing of this launch couldn’t be more interesting. The company is currently under a national security review that could, as early as late December, make it illegal for DJI to import new products into the country. And somehow, the drones that DJI decided not to bring to the US are suddenly popping up on Amazon’s shelves, with next-day delivery in many regions. This includes the Mavic 4 Pro and Mini 5 Pro. Meanwhile, some existing products like the DJI Neo and Osmo Pocket 3 camera are now heavily discounted in the US, hinting that retailers are trying to clear shelves before any potential restrictions kick in.

Meanwhile, Dreame takes off

Here’s where the story gets even more interesting: while DJI moves into the world of robot vacuums, Dreame, the Chinese brand best known for its cordless cleaners, is reportedly moving into drones.

Job postings and insider reports say Dreame is building a drone R&D team in Suzhou and Shenzhen (DJI’s own backyard), hiring engineers, test pilots, and even poaching staff from DJI and Meituan.

It’s a fascinating case of technological convergence and competition. Just as DJI is bringing drone-grade perception and AI to the ground, Dreame seems ready to take its robotics know-how to the skies.

Ultimately, the Romo launch highlights a trend that’s been building for years: the boundaries between categories are blurring. Drones, robot vacuums, and autonomous vehicles all rely on the same core technologies — computer vision, spatial mapping, obstacle avoidance, and AI-based decision-making.

In that sense, DJI isn’t just making a vacuum. It’s showing what happens when drone intelligence meets domestic life. And for Americans watching from afar, it’s another glimpse into the kind of innovation that may not land on US shelves anytime soon.

More: DJI Neo 2 drone: What we know so far