Drone leader DJI is set to enter the crowded market for domestic robotic vacuum cleaners as early as this month, as firms with expertise in sensors and automation look to expand into new fields, according to a domestic Chinese media report.

The model has been under development for the past four years, the state-backed financial newspaper China Securities Journal reported.

The unit is called the DJI Romo, according to leaked images of its packaging that leaked on social media earlier this month.

Competitive market

The report follows earlier rumours about the Romo that suggested it would have an integrated mop along with a large docking station that could allow it to self-empty and self-clean.

The Romo is expected to include smart features such as detailed room mapping, AI cleaning and scheduling, similar to other high-end robotic cleaners, rumours have said.

DJI has not yet announced plans to enter the vacuum cleaner market, but images this month showed boxes of Romo units on a pallet, suggesting the units were preparing to ship.

The move would pit DJI against Roborock, another Chinese firm, which holds the leading position in global robot cleaners with a 16 percent share, followed by iRobot with 13.7 percent, according to IDC.

The other companies in the top five, Ecovacs Robotics, Xiaomi and Dreame, are all from China.

Worldwide robot cleaner shipments reached 20.6 million last year, up 11.2 percent year-on-year, IDC said in March.

A June launch would position the DJI Romo to take advantage of mid-year sales in China, known as the 618 Shopping Festival, which is being boosted by a national subsidy scheme to boost consumer electronics sales, the South China Morning Post noted.

Growing demand

The subsidy scheme helped sales of robot cleaners in China grow nearly 30 percent year on year to 1.75 million units in the fourth quarter of 2024, but that growth could come at the cost of future demand, IDC’s study said.

DJI’s sales in the United States are another question, amidst uncertainty around tariffs between the US and China.

In the past the US has restricted imports of DJI drones, but the company said in a statement that it is not currently subject to US import controls.

In January 2024 Amazon abandoned a plan to buy iRobot in the face of opposition from EU regulators, following which iRobot cut hundreds of jobs.

iRobot said in March that due to wider economic uncertainty there was “substantial doubt” it could continue as a going concern in the near future.