Have you ever seen a robot vacuum with legs? The new Dreame X50 Ultra can cleverly lift itself over the highest steps yet, paving the way for stair-cleaning robot vacuums

The Dreame X50 Ultra is the first robot vacuum that can hoist itself up and climb steps of 2.36 inches, almost triple its previous best. This new model boasts climbing function that is an industry first and the tallest we've seen any robot vacuum do.

I was at Dreame's UK launch event this week, where the global tech brand unveiled their new technologies across robotic vacuuming, wet/dry cleaning and robotic lawn mowing.

I spoke with Dreame's experts about their latest tech developments and all the ways in which they can help people improve our lives at home, and whether a robot that can fully climb stairs is on the horizon.

Why the latest tech from Dreame is revolutionary

In their drive to further their reach in the automated cleaning market, Kurt Wang, UK and Ireland Country Manager told me, 'We want to achieve 100% coverage of your household.'

He pinpointed obstacle climbing as 'something that houses can really need,' and he's not wrong. We've tested 15 of the best robot vacuums and this can be a constant snag and even our top rated robot vacuum, the eufy Omni S1 Pro reduced canister use by 90% for our tester, but can't tackle stairs.

Kurt told me, 'The X50 Ultra can climb up to 6cm, and for low areas, the robot can drop its sensors to reach under furniture.'

Dreame have been utilizing the abilities of AI learning to clean more intuitively, with features like wall sensing and 'swing' cleaning to take more effort out of our hands and upgrade their best robot vacuums.

I saw the robot vacuum's retractable legs in action for myself and this smart and versatile robot had no problem identifying a step and automatically hoisting itself up to the higher level. It used legs that extended from underneath the machine to tackle the problem with ease, as I captured on film below:

The robot uses the same mechanism when lowering itself from higher levels, although the motion seemed a little clunky as it almost thudded to the ground. As a home tech editor who has tested over XX vacuums, this thudding raises durability concerns for me, especially compared with robots that don't employ as many moving parts or experience as many moments of collision.

Kurt is confident in its durability however, explaining, 'For this mechanical arm extension, we've done the tests on endurance and it can extend and raise itself 30,000 times.'

Once the vacuum gets to the end of this lifespan, all the parts are replaceable. 'You've got the three-year warranty,' Kurt says, 'So if anything breaks, you can send to us and we'll repair it for free. If it's after this period, we're still able to fix it.' Kurt also asserts that the mechanical arms are safe to use across all floors.

When the X50 Ultra drops its sensor to fit under furniture, it still uses other visual input so that it isn't navigating these areas blindly. 'It has an RGB camera and an LED light guidance. The RGB camera will do all the 3D modelling and it can see obstacles and navigate.'

'We increased the suction power to 20,000Pa so that people are still able to clean homes with fluffy carpets,' Kurt added. Although there are a few robots worldwide, particularly in China that boast a similar level of suction, 20,000Pa is higher than almost all other robots we have access to in the US and UK.

This robot vacuum can also mop your floors, using two pads that spin in opposite directions to remove liquids and stains from hard floors. The X50 Ultra also has a cool feature called 'MopExtend RoboSwing,' where the robot extends a mop out and swings the back of its body towards the floor's edge to maximize what's being cleaned.

To deal with vacuuming pet hair, the robot uses two brushrolls that Dreame promise can achieve 100% tangle-free cleaning for hairs up to 30cm (11.8'') long. We're yet to try this out for ourselves, but if so, this could shape up to be one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair.

The X50 Ultra, like most robot vacs, comes with a cleaning station that empties the dustbin then cleans and dries the mop pads. This model uses a cleaning solution, heat and UV light to kill up to 99.98% bacteria – massively helping to reduce how often you need to clean your robot vacuum.

What's more, the robot vacuum is available in another model, the X50 Master, that's designed to be built-in to your home. It shares all of the same features but has a more compact station, 24.9cm/9.8'' tall, that can hook up to your pipes and drains for a fully automatic experience.

I asked Kurt about the future of robotic cleaning and whether he believes they'll ever be able to fully climb stairs, as opposed to the small 6 cm (2.36 inches) climb we can see with the X50 Ultra.

He sais, 'This category is evolving so fast. We have ideas in mind, we can deliver it right now but it would make the product really big and heavy. It's not only relevant to technology but also to the hardware design and the materials used. I do believe in the next 3-5 years we can get robots that climb stairs.'

The Dreame X50 Ultra is available for pre-order in the US for $1309.99 at Dreame, and in the UK for £1,299 at Dreame UK.

Next, browse our guides of the best vacuums for pet hair and the best Dyson alternatives for more vacuum inspiration.