Tired of your budget-friendly robot vacuum getting stuck on things like cords, pet toys, and shoes? Perhaps it’s time for an upgrade. The $799.99 Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI can both vacuum and mop your floors, and boasts artificial intelligence and visual interpretation (AIVI) technology that allows it to automatically identify and avoid obstacles. It also has a neat Visual Butler feature that lets you view live video of your home from wherever you are, and it works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can start and stop cleaning with your voice. It’s expensive, but it’s one of the most feature-rich hybrid floor-cleaning robots we’ve tested, earning our Editors’ Choice.
Design and Setup
The Ozmo T8 AIVI has a sleek design with a matte black finish. Measuring around 13.5 inches in diameter and 3.6 inches tall, it’s one of the larger floor-cleaning robots I’ve tested, but is still short enough to fit under most furniture.
It boasts a number of sensors for mapping and navigation, including the aforementioned AIVI visual detection sensor in front, anti-collision sensors on the sides, a TrueMapping Distance sensor on top, and a carpet-detection sensor plus six anti-drop sensors on the bottom. The AIVI technology uses an artificial intelligence chipset and a camera to recognize things that can get in the robot’s way like power cords and socks, and builds a database of objects to avoid, so it works better over time.
To get started, you simply need to remove the Ozmo’s protective film, install the side brushes, plug the docking station into the wall, manually place the robot on the docking station, and power it on. Ecovacs recommends placing the docking station 1.64 feet away from objects on either side, and 4.94 feet across from anything.
In the box, you get an extra set of side brushes and an extra filter. You don’t get a remote, but you can control the Ozmo via the Ecovacs Home app (available for Android and iOS), Amazon Alexa, or Google Assistant. Setting it up to work with the app is straightforward. You can scan a QR Code on the robot or manually select your model from a list, then follow the on-screen instructions to connect the robot to Wi-Fi.
Setting up the Ozmo T8 AIVI to work with Alexa and/or Google Assistant is also quick and easy. For the former, you just enable the Ecovacs Deebot skill in the Alexa app, sign into your Ecovacs account, and select the robot you want to control with your voice. Once I got them connected, I said, “Alexa, ask Deebot to go back to its charging dock,” and the robot followed orders and went right there. I then said, “Alexa, ask Deebot to start cleaning,” and it got back to work. It also worked well with Google Assistant, letting me start and stop cleaning jobs with just my voice.
App Features
From the Ecovacs Home app, you can start, pause, and stop a cleaning job, as well as set a cleaning schedule.
As it works, the robot creates a map of your home in the app, showing its exact cleaning path for each job. You can also see the square footage it covered, how much time it spent cleaning, and how much battery it has left. The app keeps a log of its cleaning history, so you can see exactly when it last vacuumed and mopped, where it covered, and how many obstacles it avoided.
There’s also an Advanced Mode in the app that lets you set virtual boundaries for the robot to avoid and choose specific areas and rooms you want cleaned. If your home has more than one story, you can also enable a Multi-Floor Map feature to create maps of each level.
Finally, a very cool Video Butler feature allows for remote, on-demand home monitoring, like a roving home security camera. You can use arrows in the app to move the robot around your home as you see a live video stream from its camera. You can also use this feature to have the robot broadcast voice messages you record. I admittedly spent way too much time using the Video Butler to spy on my dog Bradley, but it can also be helpful if you want to check if you accidentally left a door open or your iron plugged in.
Performance
I’m pretty good with keeping my house tidy, but my dog sometimes leaves his toys scattered on the floor. Before running a traditional robot vacuum, I always make sure to pick them up, but he inevitably gets them back out and leaves them on the floor for the vacuum to get stuck on.
To put the Ozmo T8 AIVI’s obstacle-detection technology to the test, I intentionally placed dog toys that have tripped up other robot vacuums in its path. Without fail, the Ozmo T8 AIVI detected the toys in its way and changed directions accordingly. It got stuck once on the base of my couch, but I set it free and it didn’t happen again.
After the robot completes its job and goes back to the charging station, you get a notification in the app with a map showing the locations of obstacles it identified. The app advises you to clear these obstacles to improve cleaning efficiency.
Overall, the robot works quickly and does a good job cleaning hard floors, low-pile carpet, and medium-pile carpet. It cleans in a smart, methodical path, making straight lines. I noticed that the robot automatically adjusts its suction to suit different flooring. If it transitions from hard floor to carpet, for instance, it will automatically increase its suction power.
When it’s running over carpets, it can be a bit loud, at a maximum volume of around 67dBA (about the same volume as classroom chatter, according to OSHA). If you’re in the same room having a conversation or trying to watch TV, it can be annoying.
In testing, the battery lasted up to 170 minutes on a charge in auto cleaning mode, slightly shy of Ecovacs’ 200-minute estimate. That’s the best battery life of any robot mop or vacuum we’ve tested, making it a great choice for large homes.
In 130 minutes, it was able to make two complete passes over my roughly 1,000-square-foot home in auto cleaning mode, and still had some battery left. After those first two cleaning jobs, the 14-ounce dustbin was almost completely filled with dust and dog hair.
Mopping
The Ozmo T8 AIVI is also a robot mop, and I was excited to put that feature to the test. To get started mopping, you first need to remove and fill the water reservoir, snap the cleaning cloth plate onto it, then slide it back into the robot. A washable/reusable microfiber cleaning cloth comes preinstalled on the cleaning cloth plate, and the robot also comes with a package of five disposable cloths.
If you’ve never used a robot like this before, this process can be a bit confusing at first, especially since Ecovacs’ instruction manual relies mostly on pictures, but it’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it. In the manual, Ecovacs says you should use purified or softened water in the reservoir to prolong its life. The company doesn’t specifically caution against filling the reservoir with cleaning solution, but doesn’t say it’s OK either.
Though it only uses water, Ecovacs claims the robot’s simultaneous vacuuming plus mopping functionality allows it to remove up to 99.26 percent of bacteria from your floors. Still, in the age of COVID-19, the fact that it cleans with just water might be a deal breaker for some. Given its high price, I wish it offered support for cleaning solutions.
I have tile in my kitchen and laminate in my living and dining rooms, and the Ozmo T8 AIVI had no problem passing over the transition strip to move from one type of flooring to the other, an area that has tripped up other robot vacuums and mops. As it mops, the robot leaves a very light film of water on the floor, which dries quickly.
The manual notes that the robot automatically detects carpeting and keeps away from it while mopping. If you need to vacuum your carpet, Ecovacs recommends removing the cleaning cloth plate and running in vacuum-only mode first.
In testing, the Ozmo T8 AIVI did a good job of avoiding carpet when mopping. I have wall-to-wall carpeting in my bedrooms, and was able to leave the bedroom doors open while it mopped without incident. When it reached the carpeting, it turned around in the other direction.
On one mopping job, the robot got stuck between my bathroom vanity and toilet. When this happens, it says, “Please help me out,” and sends a notification in the app that says, “Deebot is trapped. Please set it free.” You have to manually move it to an open area and restart cleaning.
When it’s done mopping, the robot verbally tells you to remove the cleaning cloth plate and sends you a notification in the app reminding you to do so.
After the Ozmo T8 AIVI’s first pass in mopping mode, many but not all of the smudges on my floor were gone. It still had a lot of battery left, so I ran it a second time. After its second pass, my floors were nearly spotless and they felt noticeably cleaner, though some tougher, set-in stains remained. At this point, the dustbin was about a quarter full, and the microfiber cleaning cloth was completely soiled.
Ecovacs makes an oscillating mopping accessory for the Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI called the Ozmo Pro (sold separately for $99.99) that vibrates up to 480 times per minute to better tackle set-in stains. The Ozmo Pro features a larger, 8-ounce water tank, which should be enough to cover 2,000 square feet when mopping.
To use it, you remove the preinstalled mopping system, fill the Ozmo Pro with purified water, attach a disposable cleaning cloth to the bottom, and insert it into the robot. When you install the it, the Deebot will automatically switch to scrubbing mode.
In testing, the Ozmo Pro worked well; you can see the mopping attachment quickly move back and forth to scrub your floors as the robot moves along. After one pass on my very smudged floors with the water flow level set to medium (the default option), the Ozmo Pro picked up a lot of dirt on its cleaning pad, but I could still see some smudges so I ran it again. After two full passes, the cleaning pad was filled with dirt and my floors looked and felt a lot better.
With the Ozmo Pro installed, the robot will still simultaneously vacuum and mop, and automatically avoid carpeting. The Ozmo Pro system uses upgraded ultrasonic sensors (instead of height-based) to detect carpeting and keep it from getting wet. It supports four different water flow levels (low, medium, high, and ultra high), and supports virtual boundaries and no-mop zones.
You can’t use the Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI’s washable/reusable microfiber cleaning cloth with the Ozmo Pro, but you get 26 disposable cleaning pads in the box. When you run out, you can get a pack of 25 for $25.
Maintenance
Ecovacs recommends washing and drying the reusable microfiber cleaning cloth that comes with the robot after each use, and getting a new one after 50 washes. You should clean the robot’s filter once a week, the side brushes every two weeks, and replace both every three to six months. The main brush should be cleaned once a week and replaced every 6 to 12 months.
Ecovacs makes an Auto-Empty Station for the Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI that can empty the bin without your help, a feature you can also find on the iRobot Roomba i7+ and Roomba s9+. Unfortunately, the Auto-Empty Station doesn’t come with the Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI—you have to pay an extra $249.99 for it. That’s pretty steep, considering you can buy an affordable robot vacuum for around the same price, but it significantly cuts down on maintenance and your exposure to dust.
The Auto-Empty Station is much larger than the standard base station, measuring about 7.4 by 8.5 by 16.3 inches (LWH). It comes with a disposable dust bag preinstalled, and includes an extra one in the box. Ecovacs says the disposable dust bag holds around 30 days of dirt and debris, but that will depend on how often you use the vacuum. You’ll get a notification in the Ecovacs Home app when the bag is full. Ecovacs sells packs of three dust bags for $20.
When the robot docks after a cleaning job, the Auto-Empty Station kicks on. It gets pretty loud for about 30 seconds—about the volume of an old-school standing vacuum—as it sucks all the debris from the robot’s bin into the dust bag. In testing, the Auto-Empty Station has done a thorough job emptying the robot’s bin without my assistance.
Setting up the Auto-Empty Station requires a few steps, but it’s pretty easy and a manual in the box walks you through the process. You first need to remove the original dustbin that came with the robot, use an included key tool to remove two outlet covers, then insert the new dustbin that comes with the Auto-Empty Station. From there, you remove the protective films on the station, connect the dust container to the base, and tighten the base socket with three included screws. You can then unplug the standard base station that comes with the Deebot and place the new Auto-Empty Station against the wall in an area at least 1.64 feet away from objects on either side and 4.92 feet across from anything.
The Auto-Empty Station brings the total cost of the robot to $1,049.98, which isn’t insignificant, but it is still $50 less than the self-emptying iRobot Roomba s9+, which doesn’t offer a mopping feature.
If you don’t opt for the Auto-Empty Station, you’ll need to empty and wipe down the dustbin after each use, or every couple of runs for smaller jobs.
Conclusions
The Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI is a unique robot: part vacuum, part mop, part home monitoring device. It boasts advanced mapping and navigation features that allow it to successfully detect and avoid many obstacles other floor-cleaning robots would get stuck on. And from its companion app, you can move the robot around and view a live video stream of what’s happening inside your home. While it isn’t cheap at $800, it’s the most feature-rich robot vacuum/mop hybrid we’ve tested, earning it our Editors’ Choice.
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a hybrid robot vacuum/mop that gets the job done with fewer bells and whistles, the $600 Roborock S5 is a good option with no home monitoring features. Or, if you want a dedicated robot mop that offers support for cleaning solutions, not just water, check out the $500 iRobot Braava Jet m6.
