I’ve tested far too many robot vacuums. Far too many. And as much as I love the machines, one of my biggest gripes has to be that they can’t climb stairs. Not only does this mean you have to use a stick vac to clean your staircase, but your robot vac also can’t climb any upper floors. But that may soon be about to change.
Stairrobotics is working on something that might actually fix this long-standing frustration – going all-in on a lightweight, compact approach. The result is what is called the Blue Chip, a stair-climbing robot vacuum prototype. It isn’t meant for us lot to buy, but for vacuum manufacturers to slap into their own machines.
The mechanism involves alternating axes lifting and lowering the machine in a tight, clever configuration. It manages to conquer stairs one at a time, and is slim enough to avoid turning your robot vacuum into a lumbering beast. The kicker is that it still fits under a sofa, doesn’t weigh loads, and leaves enough room inside for all the essential cleaning gear. So your vacuum won’t turn into a small tank just to make it upstairs.
It’s genuinely impressive how low-profile this robot vacuum tech is, both literally and figuratively. There’s no bloated material cost, no extra bulk, and crucially, no need to redesign the robot from scratch. Manufacturers don’t have to reinvent the wheel, they just have to add on this extra bit of kit.
Since this is a behind-the-scenes tech for manufacturers to license, there’s no shelf price to slap on it. But it’s already being pitched to vacuum makers with European patents, and the company is clearly aiming for mass adoption rather than some niche, absurdly priced upgrade. Fingers crossed the brand pulls it off – for now, my robot vacuum is still pretty useless around stairs.
