Seoul: Samsung Electronics Co. announced its focus on establishing a new ecosystem for robot vacuum cleaners, encompassing sales, installation, and after-sales service, as part of its strategy to gain a foothold in the competitive domestic market dominated by Chinese products.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lim Seong-taek, executive vice president of Samsung Electronics, emphasized the rapid and intense development pace of robot vacuum hardware during a press briefing. The company aims to move beyond a single-step approach centered solely on product sales by creating a comprehensive system. Samsung unveiled its latest innovation, the Bespoke AI Steam, a robot vacuum cleaner equipped with artificial intelligence (AI)-based space recognition technology and enhanced vacuuming capabilities. This marks Samsung's second-generation robot vacuum, following its initial model introduced in 2024.
Samsung Electronics aspires to become the leading robot vacuum cleaner brand in South Korea, currently led by China's Roborock, which holds nearly 50 percent of the market share. Although Lim did not disclose the exact sales target for the new product, he expressed confidence in achieving the top position, citing the strong early popularity of their previous model and numerous consumer requests for a new version.
The Bespoke AI Steam boasts several upgraded cleaning features, including AI Liquid Detection, EasyPass Wheels for navigating thresholds up to 45 millimeters high, and a pop-out wet mop for cleaning walls and corners. The AI-powered RGB camera sensor and infrared LED enable the robot cleaner to selectively focus on or avoid cleaning both colored and transparent liquids, such as water.
Samsung has integrated its security solutions, Knox Matrix and Knox Vault, into the new vacuum cleaner, providing continuous monitoring and secure storage of passwords and verification keys. The inclusion of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) ensures that images and videos captured by the device remain secure, preventing unauthorized third-party access.
The Bespoke AI Steam will be available in local stores on March 3, with preorders starting Wednesday.