I've been trying to cut through the marketing noise around newer robot vacuums and figure out which obstacle avoidance systems actually perform better in real homes.

On paper, everything seems to offer millimeter-level precision and recognition for 100+ object types. Meanwhile, my living room has random black charging cables and chew toys that seem specifically designed to ruin those claims.

I've been comparing Roborock's structured-light and ToF approaches with systems like the eufy S1 Pro and other Omni models that use RGB cameras, lasers, and active lighting. I'm curious whether the extra illumination actually helps in dark rooms and under furniture, or whether it mostly makes the spec sheet look more impressive.

Also, seeing a robot vacuum suddenly switch on its lights in a dark hallway at night is pretty funny.

Full disclosure: I'm a product creator in this space, so I'm interested in how these systems work beyond the advertised specs.…