Dyson has pulled the wraps off a new wave of vacuum devices at its Singapore headquarters, including the new Clean+Wash Hygiene – a self-cleaning wet-and-dry cleaner that also dries itself – and more powerful cordless models like the V16 Piston Animal (with a Submarine variant for wet cleaning), alongside a compact air purifier and an upgraded hard-floor cleaner known as the HushJet Purifier and V8 Cyclone respectively. But it was the robot vacuum that caught my attention most. Called the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai, this is the company’s first fully featured robot vacuum with mopping and an automated cyclonic dock, and it marks a possible re-thinking of its approach after the powerful but flawed 360 Vis Nav.
Finally joining the competition
The Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai’s docking station.
As far as the robot vacuum segment is concerned, Dyson’s track record has been, well, less than stellar. We found plenty of potential in the 360 Vis Nav during our review but felt it was let down by frustrating navigation quirks, an eye-watering price tag, and the odd decision to skip mopping entirely – even as it was fast becoming a standard feature among Chinese competitors. In a market where brands like Dreame, Roborock, Ecovacs, and even Mova have been iterating at breakneck speed, Dyson’s robot vacuum adventure was in danger of ending before it even really began.
That’s why the new Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai feels like a reset button. I got a sneak peek at a closed-door event at Dyson’s Singapore headquarters, and it’s clear this isn’t just a minor refresh but a proper rethink of what a Dyson robot vacuum should be. The headline feature is right there in the name: the bot uses an AI camera and Dyson’s now-signature green laser – the same one fans will recognise from its stick vacuums – to spot stains on the floor and scrub them until they’re gone. Dyson says it can recognise nearly 200 different objects and substances, deciding when an area needs an extra pass before moving on. It’s an ambitious approach, but it finally feels like Dyson is playing to its strengths in cleaning tech, rather than just relying on a powerful motor as with the 360 Vis Nav.
The first thing that stood out during the demo was just how large this bot is. Both the vacuum and the dock are visibly chunkier than rival models, which could be an issue for smaller homes. The extra size, however, does bring meaningful upgrades. The new dock is far more capable than the basic charging stand that came with the 360 Vis Nav. It can auto-empty dust into a bagless chamber — using Dyson’s familiar cyclone technology – refill the onboard water tanks, and even wash and dry the mop pads. To be fair, these aren’t breakthrough features, but the decision to go bagless might be one of Dyson’s smarter moves, sparing owners the ongoing cost and annoyance of constantly buying disposable dust bags just to keep the system running.
Mopping is another big highlight. This is Dyson’s first robot vacuum that can actually mop – a late arrival to the party – but the setup looks well thought-out. There’s a motorised roller that spins continuously while being fed fresh water, and it can extend sideways by up to 4 cm to hug skirting boards. Again, this isn’t new as brands like Ecovacs and Dreame already have robot vacuum models with motorised rollers. Crucially, Dyson has also made a design U-turn here by abandoning its unique front-facing vacuum roller and going with twin spinning sweepers, a choice that raised my eyebrows given Dyson previously argued sweepers push dust away rather than pull it in. It’s certainly an interesting shift.
Pricing and availability
Say hello to the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai.
Dyson has never been shy about charging a premium, and it usually gets away with it for its cordless vacuums, where the performance and features are genuinely class-leading. But the robot vacuum space is far more competitive. Brands like Dreame and Roborock are delivering polished, fully-featured bots with mopping, AI vision, and auto-empty docks for prices that don’t completely wreck your wallet. Dyson doesn’t yet have the same clout in this space, so the Spot+Scrub Ai’s price (Dyson isn’t ready to reveal this) will have to be carefully positioned if it wants to win over households who may already have invested in other ecosystems. What I do know, is that it will be available later this year. Stay tuned.