Drone brand DJI is releasing a robot vacuum in August, with a catch

If vacuum brands like Dyson and Shark can venture into hair care and kill it, who says a drone brand can’t be the next big Roomba or Roborock competitor? DJI begs that question with the imminent release of its very first robot vacuum, the DJI Romo.

The Romo was but a rumor until a teaser video started to make its rounds on X on July 23. A reliable leaker allegedly spotted the announcement from the official Chinese DJI Romo account, which includes the date August 6, 2025 — presumably the launch date for China. There’s no word yet about drops in other countries, and tariffs could throw a wrench into the works of a release date for the United States. However, many other China-based robot vacuum brands like Roborock, Ecovacs, and Dreame are typically quick to get their flagships to the American market, so the Romo’s U.S. release is hopefully on the horizon.

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From a navigational POV, there’s a very clear overlap between drones and robot vacuums. A ton of robot vacuums use LiDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging) technology to create the in-app map that allows them to clean specific rooms or zones on command. And, as you may have put together, several DJI drones also use LiDAR to create detailed 3D aerial maps. Perhaps DJI will be the brand to finally get small obstacle avoidance down to a science — because I’ve still never tested a robot vacuum with a 100 percent perfect track record when it comes to chargers and cords on the floor.

No concrete information about the Romo’s actual cleaning specs are available to the public yet. But from the short teaser clip, it looks like the Romo has a self-emptying dock — it’s unclear whether part of that dock also holds water tanks for mopping. Looking at the transparent view of the Romo dock, if I squint, I think I’m seeing multiple different compartments (not just a dust bin or bag). Since DJI is familiar with the premium pricing end of the spectrum with its drones (and now wireless microphones and gimbal cameras), it seems likely that DJI’s first robot vacuum will be similarly premium. I’m predicting mopping, self-washing, and -drying pads — the works.

Being so late to the game, DJI does have intel on where some other big brands have gone wrong. Maybe the Dyson 360 Vis Nav flopped so the DJI Romo could run.

How much the DJI Romo will cost is also still up in the air. DJI drones are high-end, so it’d be surprising if the DJI robot vacuum wasn’t high-end as well. I personally don’t see it costing less than $1,000, and again, tariffs could provoke a steeper price point than originally planned.

While I’m excited to see the unique ways a drone brand could go with a robot vacuum, there’s a fine line between innovating and doing too much — the Roborock Saros Z70 and its hit-or-miss robotic arm are a prime example of that. Hopefully, DJI won’t try to be so different that the Romo is too fancy to be a practical addition to the average person’s home.