Dyson may be designing robotic vacuum cleaners that can climb stairs

The patent notes that homes are designed for “navigation and manipulation” by human beings, who are “extremely complex biological” entities. As a result, these environments are tough for robots to navigate.

Dyson has designed robots that use a set of “tri-star wheels” or an “actuated arm”, allowing it to climb stairs and navigate discontinuous surfaces in many homes. The patent was published in the UK on 1 September and is not a confirmation that the company is actually going to bring such devices to the market. “The present invention may be used to implement an autonomous domestic robot,” the patent reads.

Dyson, however, is known to push the boundaries in terms of technology when it comes to vacuuming homes. The new patent seems to describe robots that can not only navigate stairs but can hold things, which could be used for a variety of use-cases. In the photos, Dyson not only shows robots that can climb stairs, but also one that seems to be able to open drawers.

It also says that the autonomous robots could perform “off-floor” tasks, meaning they can reach areas that the robot’s body won’t be able to reach otherwise. Which seems to be an attempt to make floor cleaning robots that are much smarter than those sold by companies like Roomba and Xiaomi right now. Robots like the Mi Vacuum cleaner claim to be able to navigate around obstacles in a home and clean the floors.

The devices Dyson’s patent details, on the other hand, seem much more advanced than floor cleaning solutions that we have seen so far.