Matic Robots has enhanced its flagship vacuum with voice and gesture controls, allowing for intuitive commands in over 70 languages and setting a new benchmark in autonomous cleaning technology amid rising competition and industry changes.
Matic Robots has added voice and gesture control to its flagship vacuum, allowing users to start jobs, target specific areas and summon the machine without opening an app. According to the Seattle Times, the feature, called Matic Cues, began rolling out in August and is designed to let the vacuum respond to spoken prompts such as asking it to clean a spot or follow a person through the home.
The company says the update works in more than 70 languages and uses the robot’s existing cameras to interpret pointing gestures and locate the area that needs cleaning. The Seattle Times reported that the vacuum already contained microphones, but they had been inactive until this software update. Matic also says the microphones switch off if users disable the feature in the mobile app.
Unlike many rival products, the voice system is built into the robot itself rather than relying only on a smart speaker platform such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home. Matic says most processing happens on the device, although Google Gemini’s API is used to interpret commands and support the broad language list. The company has said it may later distil a smaller on-device model for users who do not want cloud-based parsing.
The update arrives as Matic tries to stand out in a crowded market under pressure from lower-priced Chinese competitors. Reuters-style reporting from the Seattle Times noted that iRobot, the Roomba pioneer, filed for bankruptcy late last year, while the US Federal Communications Commission recently expanded its Covered List to include foreign-produced advanced robotic devices, potentially complicating future imports for some brands. Matic says it designs and assembles its products in the US, even though it sources many components overseas, and that discussions with the FCC have been constructive.
The company is also raising prices. It said the vacuum, which previously cost $1,245, will rise to $1,495 this month because of higher memory and component costs. Matic says it has sold more than 13,000 units so far, and those robots have cleaned nearly 400 million square feet. Co-founder and president Mehul Nariyawala said the feature marks the fulfilment of a long-running plan for the product, while also framing it as a step towards a future line of more capable home robots.
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