The BBC bought vape liquid that later tested positive for street drug spice
It is a sunny spring afternoon in Warwickshire and I’m parked up in a nondescript hatchback with my cameraman, poised to meet a drug dealer.
He has agreed to sell what he claims to be THC vape liquids to a schoolgirl – an illegal substance which is the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.
However, we suspect it actually contains spice, a more potent drug that is highly addictive and can cause serious side effects.
And unbeknown to him, the “schoolgirl” is an undercover BBC reporter who has been messaging him on Snapchat.
On Friday we published an article exposing these drug dealers who are selling vape liquid laced with spice to unwitting teenagers through adverts posted on the social media site.
It came after we went undercover to catch the dealers in the act.
Teenagers revealed they did not initially realise they had been vaping spice
A year ago I saw social media posts from two mums worried about their teenage daughters, who started vaping what they thought was THC when they were just 13.
Over the course of a few months, they told me how the girls had become addicted to what they now suspect was spice, and would come home so high they would collapse.
One said she feared she would find her child dead in their bed, while her daughter said withdrawal symptoms from the drug made her feel like she was “dying”.
Both mums want the people responsible to stop. They told us that, despite reaching out to police a year ago, the dealers were still on the streets.
Using the mums’ information, we messaged a seller their daughters bought from.
The dealers drop off the spice vape juice across Birmingham and Warwickshire
The Snapchat account he’s using explains at the top: “new account, old one banned”.
Its avatar is a cartoon man standing in front of a wall of dollar bills. I ask for a menu and he sends a brightly-coloured poster with a price list for THC, the chemical compound in cannabis which gets you high.
The price list shows he’s charging £10 for a bottle of “special mixed flavour”, or £20 for “pure concentrated THC”. He delivers on afternoons and evenings across Birmingham and Warwickshire.
It’s starting to feel like we’re ordering a pizza.
No names or personal information are exchanged but the dealer has a few questions about how we got his information, “So I know you’re not police”.
We tell him a friend at school recommended him and place an order for three special-mix bottles and one pure concentrated THC. We agree a meet point and ready our team.
The drugs were advertised through posts on Snapchat
We’re waiting on a housing estate in a leafy suburb where most of the houses have perfectly-maintained front lawns and expensive cars on the drives.
The dealer has agreed to meet us near a busy children’s playground – which isn’t an issue for him.
My colleague is posing as the schoolgirl who placed the vape juice order. She looks like an ordinary teenager, in joggers, worn trainers and a big puffer jacket, clutching her mobile phone and vape.
She’s the youngest member of our team and, though the nerves have set in, we all feel confident to carry on.
If at any point she feels unsafe, the whole operation will be pulled. We have to be prepared for the unexpected.
We’re in constant communication as she moves to the meeting point, the dealer messaging her his ETA on Snapchat.
Soon, he’s five minutes away and things are tense.
Snapchat says it finds and shuts down drug dealers’ accounts
After what feels like a lifetime, a white SUV appears and the adrenaline begins to rush.
There are three of them in the car, which does a U-turn right in front of ours – but we manage to hide our camera.
The team watch as our colleague walks towards the car, our cameras rolling.
After a quick hello, she keeps them talking as she hands over cash, asking about the flavours and whether they would sell in bulk for a party.
The car is slowly rolling forward throughout.
Less than 30 seconds later, she returns clutching four bottles – one turquoise blue, the other three containing clear liquid in 10ml vials. The deal is done.
Independent tests show the bottles we bought contain spice.
One mother said she feared her daughter would die after vaping spice
I showed the mums and girls our footage a few days later.
One told me she felt sick. Both are angry the dealers are still active and children like theirs are still buying from them.
And one of the girls recognised the man taking the cash and handing over the drugs, because she’d bought from him before.
We contacted the dealer again last week, using his Snapchat accounts, to see what he had to say. We were blocked and haven’t had a reply.
Snapchat has since told us using the platform to buy or sell vapes and illegal drugs is strictly against its rules and that it removed more than more than 2.4 million drug-related posts and disabled 516,000 related accounts last year.
“We use technologies to proactively find and shut down dealers’ accounts, block search results for a wide range of drug-related terms and support law enforcement efforts,” a spokesperson added.
Warwickshire Police confirmed it had received reports about the spice-laced vapes being sold to young people and said it was working with partners to gather evidence.
Both teenage girls have told us they are no longer vaping illegal drugs.
One mum, Dawn, said: “This stuff’s dangerous… for adults and it’s highly dangerous for children.
“Adults who are making money out of this are absolute scum. They should be locked up with the key thrown away.”
Details of information and support with addiction are available at BBC Action Line.
President Trump announced Friday that he will soon be sending the National Guard to New Orleans after previously teasing that he would be targeting the city in his next federal crime crackdown.
“We’re going to come into New Orleans, and we’re going to make that place so safe,” Trump said during a Friday night event held in the White House’s newly renovated Rose Garden. “It’s got a little problem right now, a couple of headaches, like murders, a lot of little murders going on, and we’re not going to stand for it. And we’re going to come in, we’re going to clean it up.”
Trump’s confirmation that he’s planning to federalize New Orleans’ law enforcement comes days after he floated the idea. Trump on Wednesday said he was debating between sending Guardsmen into New Orleans, targeting a Republican-controlled state, or to Chicago.
“We’re making a determination now — do we go to Chicago, or do we go to a place like New Orleans where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become quite tough, quite bad,” Trump said Wednesday.
Illinois Democrats have been vocal about their lack of support for a federal crime crackdown in Chicago, with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) warning the president not to do so and calling his plans “an insult.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) has echoed similar sentiments and established the “Protecting Chicago Initiative” to protect the constitutional rights of Chicago residents.
New Orleans also has a Democratic mayor, but the state of Louisiana is run by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who has previously blamed Louisiana crime on progressive policies.
Trump, in his Friday announcement, pledged that New Orleans would be “safe” within two weeks and touted the crime reduction in Washington, D.C. since the federal crackdown began early last month.
“That’s going to be the safest place, just like this is the safest place,” Trump said. “And then we’ll be going elsewhere throughout the country, we’re going to bring crime down, because we can’t have cities that are unsafe.”
UnitedHealth Group (UNH) has long been among the most reliable brands in healthcare, with overwhelming market leadership in insurance, pharmacy benefits, and health services. But 2025 has sprung one challenge after the next, from paralyzing cyberattacks to mounting political and regulatory inquiries, that has stressed investor confidence. This week’s latest news came when Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden called on the company to address repayment requests on billions of dollars in loans advanced to providers after last year’s Change Healthcare cyberattack.
These new political winds come at a vulnerable moment. UnitedHealth still needs to regroup after disruptions in its claims-processing business, is the subject of Justice Department probes into its Medicare business, and is in the spotlight (again by Warren and Wyden) over pay-related incentives for nursing home care. With all that in perspective, the shares sell for less than half their 52-week peaks, prompting investors to wonder whether the stock’s fragility is value or further trouble ahead.
UnitedHealth is the largest health insurer in the United States, with its base in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and a market capitalization exceeding $278 billion. The company has business through its two key businesses, including UnitedHealthcare, its insurance business for individuals and employers, and Optum, its health services business with high growth, including pharmacy benefit management, data analytics, and the provision of care.
The stock has been very volatile so far in 2025, dropping from the 52-week high of $630.73 to the 52-week low of $234.60 before stabilizing around $309 on Sept. 4. In comparison, the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has risen modestly in the current year, indicating the strong underperformance of UnitedHealth.
https://www.barchart.com
On valuation, UnitedHealth is at 12.23 times trailing price-earnings, significantly less than its five-year average, but next-year forecasts of 19.05 suggest investors are bracing for lower growth in profits. With a price-sales (P/S) ratio of 0.70 and a price-book multiple of 2.79, relative undervaluation when comparing to previous levels is indicated, but the uncertainty over regulatory risks as well as operations has narrowed the multiples.
UnitedHealth has a healthy balance sheet through the metrics of 0.73 for the debt-to-equity ratio as well as 6.14 for the interest coverage; the company is better positioned relative to most peers to withstand turbulence. It is also an ongoing payer of stable dividends, yet its low yield is often secondary to its growth narrative. Payout has been stable, echoing management’s plan to return capital to investors during tumultuous times.
UnitedHealth released its second quarter 2025 results, reporting EPS on the period at $3.74 with an adjusted EPS of $4.08, both lower than Wall Street had previously forecast. This was down over the similar year-previous period due to ongoing effects stemming from the surge in the costs for medicine, as well as costs connected with the cyberattacks. Revenue remains robust, however, with full-year guidance now ranging between $445.5 billion and $448 billion.
Management has suggested at least $14.65 in GAAP EPS and $16 in adjusted EPS for the year 2025 but also suggested that earnings growth will not return until 2026. This conservative forecast is an indication of strong trends in care utilization and ongoing investments to rebuild its business in its Change Healthcare as well as its Optum units.
In addition to the numbers, the report noted key context: UnitedHealth has been dealing not just with technical disruptions but also with reputational hits. On top of Warren’s recent criticisms, the Justice Department is still investigating its Medicare Advantage activities and its OptumRx pharmacy benefit business. Analysts caution that regulatory fines, settlements, or required structural overhauls could hit profitability for years to come.
UnitedHealth suspended its 2025 outlook for the year before tightening the range again, showing management itself is in the middle of reshaping itself amidst uncertainties. Investors are in for a bumpy near term as the company works on building confidence for regulators as much as investors.
Despite the volatility, the outlook among the analysts is divided instead of wholly bearish. The stock earns a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and has an average price target of $309.38, not very different from its current price, with wide dispersion between its low of $198 and its high of $440. This volatility indicates deep indecision: some see the potential for stabilizing and recovering, but others see further fall in the event risks emanating from the regulators eventuate.
https://www.barchart.com
On the date of publication, Yiannis Zourmpanos had a position in: UNH. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com
The Big Bang Theory alum debuted a jaw-dropping dark hairstyle while stepping out in New York alongside her fiancé Tom Pelphrey at the 2025 US Open Sept. 5.
For the outing, Kaley—rocking a plaid skirt with a cream-colored sweater vest atop a button-down shirt and tie—wore her hair in sleek space buns, which emphasized her more recent brunette balayage coloring and hid her signature dirty blonde tips to create a darker effect. And to top off her head-turning ‘do, the 39-year-old accessorized with hoop earrings and brown-lensed sunglasses.
As for Tom—who she announced her engagement to in August 2024 following more than two years of dating—the Ozark actor kept it casual in tan trousers, a white T-shirt and a suede brown jacket. To complete his ensemble, the 43-year-old donned coordinating sunnies and deep chocolate boots.
Kaley and Tom’s appearance at the US Open marked the second glamorous date night of the month for the couple, who share 2-year-old daughter Matilda.
In fiery Senate testimony this week, US health secretary Robert Kennedy Jr once again set his sights on the nation’s top public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
His appearance came days after he suddenly fired the new CDC director, Susan Monarez, provoking a group of senior staffers to resign in protest.
At the hearing, when asked for an explanation, Kennedy claimed he had asked Ms Monarez if she was a “trustworthy person” and she had replied “no”, to some disbelief from his opponents in the room.
He then admitted he had once described the CDC as the “most corrupt” agency in government, and strongly hinted he’s not finished with his plans to shake up the organisation.
Kennedy’s words have sparked a furious backlash, with many doctors and scientists increasingly concerned that America’s public health systems are being dangerously compromised.
It’s a conflict that could have a significant impact not just on health policy in the US but across the world. In the past the CDC has been instrumental in global health, leading the response to crises from famine, to HIV, to Ebola.
Founded in 1946, the CDC tracks emerging infectious diseases like Covid and is also tasked with tackling long-term or chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer.
It operates more than 200 specialised laboratories and employs 13,000 people, although that number has been cut by around 2,000 since President Donald Trump returned to office.
It does not approve or licence vaccines. That responsibility lies with the Food and Drug Administration.
But it does produce official recommendations on who should receive which vaccines through a panel of experts – known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) – and monitors their side effects and other safety concerns.
Vaccine dispute
Politico AP
It was Kennedy’s record on vaccines which particularly worried many public health experts when he took office in February.
An activist group he ran for eight years, Children’s Health Defense, repeatedly questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccination.
He has described the Covid jab as the “most deadly in history” and has blamed rising rates of autism on vaccines, an idea that has been categorically debunked by large scientific studies over many years.
So feathers were seriously ruffled just weeks into his tenure when it emerged he had hired a noted vaccine critic, David Geier, to look again at the CDC data on that scientifically disproven link.
Then in June Kennedy suddenly sacked the entire ACIP panel which advises the CDC on vaccine eligibility after accusing all 17 members of being “plagued with persistent conflicts of interest”.
A new committee, handpicked by the administration, now has the power to change, or even drop, critical recommendations to immunise Americans for certain diseases, as well as shape the childhood vaccination programme, although the CDC itself still has the final say on whether to accept that advice.
It’s that decision which has now been linked to the firing of the agency’s new director in late August, only 29 days into the job.
In a newspaper article this week Ms Monarez said she was sacked from the CDC after being told, by Kennedy, to “pre-approve” the recommendations of the ACIP committee which she said had now been filled with people who have expressed “antivaccine rhetoric”.
“It is imperative that the panel’s recommendations aren’t rubber-stamped but instead are rigorously and scientifically reviewed before being accepted or rejected,” she wrote.
“I lost my job, America’s children could lose far more.”
In his testimony Kennedy stood his ground, accusing Ms Monarez of lying about that exchange and describing her dismissal as “absolutely necessary”.
“We need bold, competent and creative new leadership at CDC, people able and willing to chart a new course,” he said.
Ms Monarez’s sacking led to a fresh wave of resignations at the agency as senior staff continue to walk out.
Over the last two weeks the CDC has lost its chief medical officer, its director of immunisation and its director of emerging diseases, amongst others.
“A huge top tier of CDC leadership has been removed, but this is also in the wake of the firing of thousands of CDC workers, including many well-respected experts,” says Dr Fiona Havers, a senior vaccine researcher who herself resigned from the agency in June.
“I’m a physician, and for my own integrity as a scientist, I did not feel I could continue to serve in that administration when it felt like the data we were putting together was not going to be used in an evidenced, science-based way.”
Kennedy was also criticised by some CDC staff for what they felt was a lacklustre response to a shooting at the agency’s Atlanta headquarters in August.
Kennedy visited the offices in the aftermath but he did not meet with staff members and continued to criticise the agency’s performance.
He did, though, start his testimony this week with a tribute to David Rose, the police officer who died in the shooting.
For the moment, Jim O’Neill, one of Kennedy’s top advisers, has been tapped up to run the CDC on an interim basis, until a new permanent director can be found.
O’Neill served in several roles in the health department under President George W Bush, but he has a business rather than a science background.
“During the previous administration, CDC lost public trust by manipulating health data to support a political narrative,” he wrote on social media on the day he was appointed.
“We are helping the agency earn back the trust it has squandered.”
More changes are certainly likely.
In his Senate hearing Kennedy said the CDC had lied to Americans in the pandemic about mask wearing, social distancing and the ability of the vaccine to stop the transmission of coronavirus.
“I need to fire some of those people and make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said.
Global repercussions
The next flashpoint could come later this month.
On 18 September the CDC’s new vaccine advisory panel is due to meet to discuss Covid vaccines and other shots, including for hepatitis B and the RSV virus.
The panel’s recommendations and the CDC’s response will be carefully scrutinised, not just in the US but around the world.
“What happens in America is of great importance,” says Anthony Costello, a former director at the World Health Organization (WHO) and a professor of public health at University College London.
“We’ve done so much to protect science from political interference over the past 200 years and the concern is that America will pay a price for it and we might too, if we go in that direction.”
In the past, CDC teams have also had a major hands-on role in global health protection.
In 2015, for example, the agency had 3,000 staff working on the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, with 1,200 of those on the ground in west Africa.
After taking office, President Trump withdrew the US from the WHO and ordered the CDC to cut off all communication with the organisation.
The concern from former CDC staffers like Dr Fiona Havers is what might happen if and when the next Ebola or Covid is eventually spotted and starts spreading.
“Taking a sledgehammer to the CDC and undercutting its programmes has left the US much less prepared for another pandemic,” she says.
“And that really has huge implications globally if another health emergency were to arise.”
President Trump on Friday endorsed GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson (Iowa) for retiring Sen. Joni Ernst’s (Iowa) seat.
“I know Ashley well, and she is a WINNER! A Loving Wife and Proud Mother of two sons, Ashley is a wonderful person, has ALWAYS delivered for Iowa, and will continue doing so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote in an evening Truth Social post.
“She is working hard to Create Jobs, Cut Taxes, Promote Products and Services MADE IN AMERICA by our incredible Iowa Workers, Support our Great Farmers and American Agriculture, Champion Innovation, Continue to Help Secure our now very Secure Southern Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, Strengthen our Military/Veterans, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” he added in support for the lawmaker.
The president’s endorsement came hours after Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he was backing the three-term Iowa lawmaker, who announced her bid the same day Ernst said she would not be seeking reelection.
“We need conservative fighters in the Senate — and that’s exactly what we’ll get with Ashley Hinson,” Thune said in a statement.
“Ashley has been a fierce advocate of President Trump’s America First agenda and has been instrumental in delivering big wins in the House for Iowans and the American people. I know that she’ll bring with her to the Senate that same unrelenting energy. Ashley has my full support and endorsement.”
Hinson’s campaign already has $2.8 million in funding as she prepares to run against former state Sen. Jim Carlin (R), who challenged Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in the 2022 GOP primary, for the party’s nomination in the 2026 race.
Democratic leaders are hoping to win the seat vacated by Ernst, claiming the Senate’s GOP majority is in trouble with her departure.
“Donald Trump and Senate Republicans’ devastating agenda has put their majority in jeopardy,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Democratic Senate Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement.
“Republicans can see the writing on the wall: spiking costs and ripping away health care does so much damage to their states that they would rather leave the Senate than defend their actions to voters. Democrats are in a strong position to win seats and continue fighting for working families.”
Robot vacuums are impressive devices that will clean your floors well and — thanks to bigger batteries and better robot brains — rarely get tired of doing their job. Over the last few years, they have gone from being utilitarian devices that sweep your floor to full-fledged home robots that can vacuum and mop your home and then trundle off to clean themselves to be ready for the next run.
I’ve been testing robot vacuums for seven years and have run over 70 robot vacuums all over my house. These are my top picks if you’re looking for the best: a robot vacuum that can do it all with limited intervention from you.
Along with my top picks, I have options to fit specific needs, such as mopping or besting pet hair. The good news is that there are a lot of great options. Whether you have a 3,000-square-foot home and three shaggy dogs or a small, stylish apartment you share with a goldfish, there’s a robot vacuum to suit your needs.
$1000
With top-notch vacuuming performance, an easy-to-use app, and built-in voice control, the S8 MaxV Ultra is a superb vacuum and good mop.
$230
Tap’s RV30 Max Plus is a robot vacuum / mop hybrid with room-specific cleaning, carpet boost, smart navigation, and an optional auto-empty dock.
What I look for
I test robot vacuums constantly. At any time, there are seven or eight of these busy little bots roaming my floors. Alongside everyday use, I put them through a gauntlet of specific tests. This includes testing object detection and avoidance with phone chargers, socks, a pencil, and fake pet poop. I throw in Cheerios or popcorn to see if they know to vacuum that up rather than avoid it. I also run them over oatmeal and flour to see how well they pick up fine debris and have them tackle both thick and low-pile carpets. I watch to see how they handle rug tassels, skinny chair legs, and room transitions.For mopping prowess, I test them on hardwood and tile floors with dried milk, fresh OJ, and ketchup. I monitor how quickly they fill up their bin / auto-empty dock and how efficiently they use water and clean their mop pads.I also set schedules, hook them up to voice assistants, and play with any advanced features in the app. I evaluate how well they map and how easy the maps are to edit and use, as well as test and unique features such as home security camera capabilities, AI cleaning programs, and auto-mop removal.
It’s not all about suction. In my testing, the brush is also a big factor in how well a robot will clean your floors. A large rubber roller brush is much better than a small bristle brush at picking up debris. It’s also less prone to getting tangled up with hair. Two brushes are better than one, and a brush housing that has some flexibility — so it can move with the contours of the floor — is also more effective.It’s hard to find a robot vac that doesn’t have some form of mopping, but not all mops are created equal. I looked for mopping bots that could get up dried-on stains, like milk and ketchup, and scrub up small wet spills without messing themselves up. Oscillating, spinning, or vibrating mop pads clean better than bots that just drag a wet rag around, but the new self-cleaning roller mops that are beginning to appear are even more effective. Auto-carpet sensing is also important since it prevents the robot from accidentally mopping your rug.
A big bin means you don’t need to empty it as often. The largest I’ve seen is 800ml, but anything over 500ml is decent. With many bots now pulling double duty as mopping robots, plus the popularity of self-empty dock / charging bases, it’s getting harder to find small robot vacs with big bins. But they’re worth considering — especially if you have carpets and pets. I love self-empty docks, but sometimes you don’t have space for them, and if you like your robot to be out of sight (living under your bed or sofa), you’ll want a big bin and no dock.Self-emptying docks are becoming standard now and coming down in price (thankfully). A self-empty dock turns the charging base for your robot into a motorized emptying station that sucks out the dirt from its bin. (Warning: this process can be loud!) This saves you from having to pull out the bin after every few runs and empty it yourself. Instead, you’ll have to replace the bag (and buy new ones) when it gets full, generally about once a month. Many robots now have a self-empty dock option you can add later, although buying them together is generally cheaper.
Another nice-to-have feature, AI-powered obstacle detection helps your robot “intelligently” detect and avoid clutter (and a potential poop apocalypse if it encounters pet waste). These models use cameras (worth noting) to see objects in their path and onboard processors to “decide” how to approach them based on what they see. All AI is not created equal, however, and some are much better at this than others. The end result is that robot vacuums with AI detection are less likely to get stuck when cleaning, so you’re more likely to come home to a clean floor rather than a beached bot.A robot that maps your house will get into every nook and cranny better than one that bumps and rolls around. Mapping also lets you send the robot to clean specific rooms rather than the whole space and add virtual walls to prevent your bot from going where you don’t want it to. These are crucial if you have delicate objects or areas in your home that regularly trap robots. Most robots use variations on simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technology, such as lidar or vSLAM.
A good app has easy controls to stop and start your vacuum, scheduling options (including do-not disturb hours), plus good mapping features. Nice-to-have features are room-specific cleaning and settings (so you can tell your vacuum to clean the kitchen or have it mop and vacuum the kitchen but only vacuum the living room). My biggest frustration with apps is maps that are fiddly to update and / or crash and must be rebuilt constantly. Most vacuums now have voice control (see FAQs), but some offer more in-depth control, such as telling Alexa to have the robot clean twice under the dining room table.
Nearly all robot vacuums can “recharge and resume” — take themselves back to their dock when they’re low and recharge before picking up where they left off. But a vacuum with at least 120 minutes of runtime (180 is ideal) will clean the whole house in one go. If it takes too long, noisy robots that are constantly running will get shut off by annoyed family members who aren’t about to clean the room for you.Robot vacuums are quite an investment, and it’s important to be able to buy replacement parts to keep them going for longer and have access to good support in case your robot has a serious issue.
$1000
The Good
Excellent vacuuming performance
Good sonic mopping
Extendable side brush gets into corners better
Very good app
The Bad
Dock is still quite ugly
Mopping tray is hard to clean
Expensive
Dustbin capacity: 270ml / Self-empty dock option: Yes / Auto-refill mop option: Yes / Mop lift: Yes, 20mm /Mop washing: Hot water and heated air drying / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 10,000Pa / Remote check-in: Yes / Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: Dual rubber / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts, Apple Home via Matter
Roborock’s S8 MaxV Ultra ($1,799.99) is an exceptional vacuum cleaner and a very good mop. Its dual rubber roller brushes and 10,000Pa suction make it great on carpets; its sonic mopping is very good on hard floors, and its improved AI-powered obstacle detection means it will most likely get the job done without getting trapped or derailed.
The S8 MaxV Ultra is the best in the category of “hands-free” robot vacs, bots that do virtually everything for you: empty their bins, refill their mop tanks, and clean and dry their mop pads. Roborock invented this category with the S7 MaxV Ultra and has been steadily improving it.
The S8 MaxV Ultra brings back the RGB camera last seen on the S7 MaxV Ultra, which makes it much better at navigating obstacles.
That’s the big selling point here; this bot is basically hands-free. Fill the S8 MaxV Ultra’s clean water tank and empty its dirty water once a week and change out the dust bag every couple of months. The robot will take care of the rest.
For $100 more, you can dispense with dealing with the water tanks entirely and buy the Refill & Drainage System model. This lets you plumb the charging base directly into your home’s water supply. I’ve not tested this on the Roborock, but my experience with the SwitchBot S10 with the same feature leads me to recommend this option if you can swing it.
The S8 MaxV Ultra uses two small appendages to better get into corners and clean along edges.
The S8 MaxV Ultra comes with excellent AI-powered obstacle detection, bringing back the camera it last had on the S7 MaxV Ultra. It’s not quite as good as Roomba’s obstacle detection — it sometimes confused a pile of Cheerios for a charging cable and avoided them — but it’s much better than the Roborocks that rely on non-camera obstacle detection. It deftly navigates around most household clutter, allowing you to get the job done without having to tidy up.
Roborock has caught up to Roomba on cleaning prowess, and the S8 MaxV Ultra’s dual rubber brushes and 10,000Pa of suction power tackled the pet hair on my fluffy carpet and demolished my oatmeal test.
It also did a better job at mopping than Roomba’s mopping bots, though not quite as well as the Narwal Freo X Ultra or Dreame X40 Ultra, though it’s a better vacuum than either.
Its sonic mopping system — which vibrates its mop pad 4,000 times a minute — ably simulated scrubbing and wiped out my OJ and ketchup tests, though I did have to set it to deep scrub. Plus, the addition of a side mop and flexi-arm brush that extends from the bot helped with cleaning edges and corners.
Roborock’s mobile app is easy to use and comes with a laundry list of features and customizations that give you ample control over your cleaning. The S8 MaxV Ultra also has a built-in voice assistant, which makes getting the bot to clean the mess your kid made after dinner as easy as saying, “Rocky, clean here.”
Roborock also sells the S8 Max Ultra (no V) for $1,599.99. It has the same cleaning hardware as the MaxV but no camera, so its obstacle detection will not be as good. However, you also don’t have to worry about a camera in your house. It has a lower 8,000Pa of suction and lacks a voice assistant, too, which makes it seem overpriced since it’s currently only a couple hundred dollars less than the MaxV.
There are several great vacuum / mop hybrids in this guide. Of them, the S8 MaxV Ultra is the best at vacuuming and obstacle detection, and it’s a very good mop. It can also do both in one run, as it can lift its mop 20mm, which will clear all but the highest-pile rugs. If you have a lot of those, go for the Dreame X40, with its automatic mop removal. Its vacuuming and object detection are a notch below the Roborock’s, but its mopping is a notch above. The Narwal Freo X Ultra is an even better mop than the Dreame, but its obstacle detection isn’t great, and its vacuuming is merely pretty good.
Dustbin capacity: 300ml / Self-empty dock option: Yes / Auto-refill mop option: No / Mop lift: No /Mop washing: No / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: No / Suction power: 5,300Pa / Remote check-in:No/Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: Single rubber bristle hybrid / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
For around $300, the Tapo RV30 Max Plus is a very capable robot vacuum and mop with some key features usually only found on vacuums that are more than twice its price. These include room-specific cleaning, multiple suction and water levels, smart lidar-based navigation, and an auto-empty dock. With brands like Roomba and Roborock, you’re often paying double for the privilege of not having to empty the bot’s bin.
The Tapo RV30 Max Plus includes a compact auto-empty charging dock.
Thanks to lidar navigation, the RV30 did an excellent job of navigating my house, cleaning the perimeters of the rooms, and then using a mesh grid to clean inside the rooms. I did have to tidy up before it ran, though, as there’s no camera on board or AI-powered obstacle detection — so cables and socks will trip it up.
Its 5,200Pa suction power is impressive on a bot at this price, and ably sucked up Cheerios and dry oatmeal on hard flooring. It left some of the finer dust and debris, as its single bristle / rubber brush isn’t super effective. It fared less well on carpet. However, in the app, I could set it to clean a room three times for each job, after which it had generally picked up all visible debris.
Mopping was better than average for a mop with no pressure or oscillation. It has a wide mop pad, and the bot has a big 300ml tank (which also incorporates a 300ml dustbin), so it applies enough water to do a good surface clean.
Another unique feature for a budget robot is the ability to set customized cleaning for each room, choosing from five suction levels and three water levels as well as the three rotations.
5,200Pa suction power is impressive on a bot at this price
The Tapo app is very simple to use, with an easy-to-edit map that lets you add virtual walls and no-go zones, add furniture, and designate carpet areas. There’s no carpet sensing, so you need to tell it where carpets are if you don’t want it to mop them. You can even set the cleaning direction and build up to four maps — again, features usually only found on higher-end robots.
It’s also super easy to start a clean, and I really like that you can just tap on the map to send the robot to that spot. The biggest downside of the Tapo is its tiny battery, which is just 2,600mAh. That is half the size of most vacs, and it couldn’t clean my entire 800-square-foot downstairs without needing to go back and recharge. It also takes a while to charge and occasionally had trouble repositioning itself on its dock. You can get the RV30 without the auto-empty dock for around $80 less if you prefer an even simpler robot vacuum setup. This way, it will fit under a couch or bed, but you’ll have to manually empty its bin.
Best mopping robot vacuum for hard floors
$550
The Good
The best mopping robot
Also good at vacuuming
Very quiet
Big water tanks mean less refilling
The Bad
Middling laser-based obstacle avoidance
Wonky app
Huge charging dock
Dustbin capacity: 1L / Self-empty dock option: No / Auto-refill mop option: Yes / Mop lift: Yes, 12mm /Mop washing: Yes, hot air drying / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 8,200Pa / Remote check-in: No / Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: Single, conical rubber bristle hybrid / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
The Narwal Freo X Ultra is one of the best mopping robots I’ve tested — and it’s a good vacuum, too. Its spinning triangular mop pads rotate at 180RPM with 12n of downward pressure. Combined with its ability to swing slightly to get closer to baseboards, the Narwal does a very good job on hard floors. Its dual four-liter water tanks will keep you going longer than most other mopping bots as well, the majority of which feature smaller tanks.
The Narwal has some innovative features, including dirt sense — which analyzes the dirt level in the water and prompts it to remop — and an ability to adapt the pressure of its mop based on the type of floor, applying more pressure to tile and less to hardwood. “Freo” refers to the bot’s ability to make cleaning “decisions,” including going back to clean dirty floors.
Its charging dock is very big, though, giving off a real Wall-E vibe. But despite the size, there’s no spot for an auto-empty dustbin; instead, Narwal’s disposable onboard bin compresses the dust, and Narwal claims you won’t need to empty it for up to 60 days. It wasn’t close to full after two weeks of testing. A bonus here is that there’s no loud noise, as is the case with most auto-empty docks.
Its charging dock is very big, giving off a real Wall-E vibe
In fact, the Freo X Ultra is one of the quietest bots I’ve tested. Even at full power, it was so quiet that I had to check that it was working. Its anti-tangle brush and 8,200Pa suction did a good job on most carpet, but its 12mm mop lifting isn’t good for plush carpets.
The Narwal can use disposal dustbins that compress dirt, so you don’t have to empty it as often.
Narwal’s obstacle detection is also only okay; there’s no camera, and it routinely eats cables. Its three lasers can identify objects as small as a sock and move around them, and it did pass my fake pet poop test.
The app is very hard to follow, making it tricky to access all of the bot’s features. Mapping was fast, but it didn’t recognize all my rooms on the first go. It did better the second time, although splitting up rooms and naming them in the app was painful. The lack of a camera also means its navigation is spotty, and sending it to clean specific rooms wasn’t always successful. But if you’ve got a lot of hard floors to keep clean, it will do an excellent job.
Best robot vacuum / mop hybrid
$850
The Good
Self-removing mop pads
Mop extension reaches under edges
Self-cleaning washboard
Dirt detection tech
The Bad
Middling AI obstacle detection
Single rubber roller brush
App can be flaky
Dustbin capacity: 300ml / Self-empty dock option: Yes / Auto-refill mop option: Yes / Mop-lift: Yes, 20mm /Mop washing: Hot water, hot air drying / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 12,000Pa / Remote check-in: Yes / Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: Single, rubber / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
The Dreame X40 is the best robot vacuum / mop hybrid because it can drop its mop pads automatically, extend them, and swing them to get under your cabinets and consoles. I watched the X40 spread its mops wide apart and swing behind my TV console, allowing it to access the dust wedged a good inch under it. That’s impressive.
The X40 also features an extending side brush arm to reach corners — like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra — and its dual oscillating mop pads are more effective than Roborock’s thin microfiber pad. If you have a mix of carpeted rooms and hardwood floors with high-pile rugs, the Dreame is the best robot vacuum for you.
The Dreame X30 Ultra shows its splits.
Its signature feature is its ability to automatically remove and reattach its mop pads, depending on whether it’s vacuuming or mopping. This solves the problem of how to vacuum and mop without getting your rugs wet. The robot will do this procedure multiple times during cleaning to ensure carpets are vacuumed and floors are mopped. Genius.
While it’s a superb mopper, its vacuuming prowess is slightly behind the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra because, despite its 12,000Pa suction power, it still only has a single roller rubber brush. The Roborock’s dual rollers are simply better at getting dirt out of carpets and tackling pet hair.
If you have a mix of carpeted rooms and hardwood floors with high-pile rugs, the Dreame is the best robot vacuum for you
Roborock’s app is also more stable and easier to use than Dreame’s, which often crashes and can take a while to load. While the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is my top pick overall, the Dreame X40 is a very good vacuum, and the two companies are neck and neck regarding innovative features.
The X40 can also clean its washboard, something the Roborock can’t. That area can get quite grungy, so it needs a cleaning every few weeks. The X40 has AI-powered smart dirt detection that uses its cameras to identify spills like milk or particularly dirty areas. When it spots something, it will slow down and do a more thorough cleaning. I also like Dreame’s option to vacuum first and then mop, which the Roborock doesn’t offer.
The X40 has AI-powered obstacle detection, although Roborock’s is just a bit better. However, both still get tripped up occasionally by pencils and other small items — something that never happens with the Roombas with this feature.
Best midrange robot vacuum / mop
$550
The Good
Good AI-powered obstacle detection
Effective mopping
Excellent value
Nice dock
The Bad
Single rubber / bristle brush
Lower suction power
No heated mop washing
Some navigation issues
Dustbin capacity: Unknown / Self-empty dock option: Yes / Auto-refill mop option: Yes / Mop lift: Yes, 12mm /Mop washing: Yes, hot air drying / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 8,000Pa / Remote check-in: No / Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: Single rubber / bristle hybrid / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
The Eufy X10 Pro Omni combines the Eufy Clean X9 Pro mopping robot vacuum and the Eufy X8 Pro self-empty robot vacuum. It’s the first Eufy with a multifunction auto-empty / wash / fill dock, and unlike many bots in this price range, it comes with AI-powered obstacle detection.
With 8,000Pa suction and oscillating dual spinning brushes for mopping, the X10 has all the same functions as the top-of-the-line, all-in-one bots — but it’s not quite as good at any of them. Which is sort of the definition of “midrange.”
The X10 has all the same functions as the top-of-the-line, all-in-one bots — but it’s not quite as good at any of them
The Eufy performed excellently in my mopping tests, even eradicating dried stains with its 1kg of downward pressure. Thanks to an onboard water reservoir, it didn’t have to head home to fill up as frequently as some mopping bots do. It also has heated mop drying to help prevent the base from getting stinky — a first in this price range. (There’s no hot water washing.)
An edge-hugging mode makes the robot swing its behind into the baseboards to help mop edges. With its square-ish shape, it got into corners better than most of the round bots. But its 12mm mop pad lift over carpet wasn’t effective, resulting in its pads getting hung up in a few places.
The Eufy uses a single rubber / bristle roller brush that isn’t as good as top-of-the-line Roombas and Roborocks.
The X10 has great object recognition, allowing it to suck up Cheerios and piles of oatmeal while deftly navigating fake dog turds and cables. However, its navigation sometimes got screwy; it would go into a corner and stay there for a while, trying to figure itself out.
While its vacuuming is good, particularly on carpet and tile surfaces, the single rubber / bristle roller brush lets it down and is a good illustration of my point that it’s not all about suction power; it’s also about the brushes and how you use them. The Eufy’s brush is supposedly anti-tangle — a cutting tool inside the robot should shred the hair — but this wasn’t effective.
The Eufy Clean app is very easy to use, and the lidar-powered mapping was fast and accurate, dividing my rooms correctly on the first try. There are many customization options — including room-specific cleaning, zone cleaning, and customized cleaning — but the app is clear and well laid out.
Best robot vacuum for pet hair
$599
The Good
Excellent vacuuming
Superior AI obstacle detection
Smart scrub feature works well
Attractive dock that doubles as a table
The Bad
Small mop pad
Limited cleaning customization
Mapping can take a long time
Navigation can be buggy
Dustbin capacity: 250 ml / Self-empty dock option: Yes / Auto-refill mop option: Yes / Mop lift: Yes, up and over /Mop washing: Yes / Mapping: Yes, vSLAM / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: N/A / Remote check-in: No / Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: Dual rubber / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts, Apple Home via the Matter protocol.
While Roombas may have fallen behind the competition in terms of features and innovation, there’s one area in which they reign supreme, and that’s cleaning prowess. Their dual rubber roller brushes rotate in opposite directions to effectively dig up dirt from carpets, and they are by far the best at tackling pet hair on all surfaces. They are also one of the most self-repairable robot vacuums you can buy, with spare parts for most of the bot’s bits readily available.
The newest model, the Combo 10 Max, is the best Roomba for pet hair as it ties for the highest suction power of the current Roomba line, plus it can clean its own mop. It also has top-notch AI-powered obstacle detection that is able to tell the difference between pet poop and a pile of popcorn (and vacuum up one while avoiding the other).
While its mopping isn’t great — the pad is tiny, and there’s no swinging to get along baseboards — it does a decent job, and its retractable mopping system is handy if you have a lot of carpets. All of this makes the Combo 10 Max a great buy for pet parents who are in a daily battle with shedding and occasional muddy paw prints.
The Combo has a redesigned dock that’s very large — to accommodate two water tanks and a dust bag — but it doubles as a table.
The Combo is the first Roomba with a multifunction dock that can refill its mopping tank and self-wash its mopping pad, meaning less hands-on time for you. (The j9 Combo Plus has the same suction power and can refill its mopping tank but can’t wash the mop pad.) The SmartScrub feature that tells the robot to wiggle its butt to scrub your floors works surprisingly well, but it’s really only effective on small areas, making it good to run in hallways and around pet bowls for an extra clean.
The Dirt Detect feature remembers the dirtiest rooms, actively seeking out spots my hairy Wirehaired Pointing Griffon hangs out
The Dirt Detect feature remembers the dirtiest rooms, and I found that meant it actively seeks out the spots my hairy Wirehaired Pointing Griffon hangs out. The 10 Max can also be set to mop only, which is a new option and is handy for deep cleans. But there’s no hot water washing or hot air drying of the mop as there is on similar Dreame and Roborock models, so you’ll want to throw the pad in the washing machine every now and then.
iRobot’s app is also a bit of a pain point. While I appreciate its simplicity, I miss the deeper cleaning customization options that most other high-end robot vacuum apps offer. And it’s recently started popping up ads for Roomba products when I navigate between screens — which is one of the features I did not want to see migrate over from the competition.
The mopping pad is barely there.
While its mapping is very good, it can take a really long time (Roombas use vSLAM, not lidar), and it doesn’t seem to adapt to changes in my home as easily as other robots. (It also doesn’t lose my maps as often as other robots.) I’ve also noticed that the newer Roombas (j9 and 10 Max) suffer from the occasional navigation glitches, occasionally getting confused and needing to be rebooted.
I really like Roomba’s dock design, which, while large enough to accommodate two rather small water tanks, is the most stylish of all the multifunction docks. Plus, because you access the water tanks from the front rather than the top (as on most other models), it can be used as a table. That’s a small quality-of-life upgrade I enjoy.
Overall, it’s a good-looking robot that vacuums really well and is smart enough to get the job done with limited intervention. If you’re not interested in mopping at all, however, save some money and get the Roomba j9 Plus. It has similar cleaning prowess, a self-empty dock, and no messing with mopping.
Other robot vacuums to consider
Dyson’s newest robovac claims to have double the suction power of any other robot vacuum.
The 360 Vis Nav ($499.99 $999.99), Dyson’s first robovac in the US in almost a decade, is a powerful beast and the best robot vacuum for carpets I’ve tested. But its navigation needs a lot of work. If you have a simple floor plan with a lot of carpets, it is worth considering, but the short battery life and lack of an auto-empty dock are major cons. Read more in this hands-on.
The Roomba j7 ($599.99) is a previous top pick that has great AI-powered obstacle detection, excellent navigation skills, and superior cleaning power. It can be a bit rough with furniture, but it is aggressive at getting your floors clean and is a great vacuum-only Roomba.
The Dreame X30 Ultra ($599.98 $899.99) is the older version of my top pick for a vacuum / mop hybrid and is a great buy if you can get it on sale. It does most everything the X40 Ultra does, just with lower suction power (8,3000Pa) and no flexi-arm.
The Roborock Q8 Max Plus ($379.99$659.99) is the bigger brother to the Q5 Pro (my pick for pet hair in my budget robot vacuum guide), adding better obstacle detection (still no camera) and better mopping. However, it has a smaller bin to make way for a much bigger water reservoir for mopping (350ml). If you like the idea of the Q5 Pro but want better mopping, this is a good option.
The Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 ($399.99$699.99) was my previous runner-up pick for a midrange option that self-empties its bin, vacuums, and mops. It mops very well, but you have to manually fill and attach the mop reservoir and empty the bin.
What I’m testing and what’s coming next
Robot vacuum testing involves all members of my household.
Roborock’s Saros 10 ($1,299.99$1,599.99) and 10R ($1,599.99) are upgrades to the S8 MaxV Ultra. Both can automatically remove their mop pads when not needed — a new option for Roborock — and feature an AdaptLift chassis to climb high room transitions. The 10R features 19,000Pa suction power, StarSight 2.0 navigation, and oscillating mops. The Saros 10 has 22,000Pa of suction power, lidar navigation, and the vibrating flat mopping pad of the S8 MaxV.
Roborock also recently released the Saros Z70 ($2,599), which is the first mass-produced robovac to feature a robotic arm that can pick up objects like socks and tissues. The arm itself isn’t particularly reliable, but the Z70 still functions as an excellent robot vacuum with 22,000Pa suction power, support for Roborock’s StarSight navigation system, and an AdaptLift chassis. Read our review.
In March, iRobot announced a new Roomba lineup that starts at $299 and goes up to $999. All of the robovacs come with lidar navigation and mapping, 7,000Pa suction power, and four suction levels. The pricier 405 and 505 models are the first Roombas to feature dual spinning mopping pads, while the 505 also offers heated mop drying, which is something even the higher-end Combo 10 Max lacks.
In April, iRobot also introduced the Roomba Max 705 ($599$899.99), which comes with an auto-empty dock. The Matter-compatible robovac brings back iRobot’s dual rubber roller brushes, which, based on our previous testing, do an excellent job of picking up pet hair; the 705 also features AI-powered obstacle detection, lidar navigation, and 13,000Pa of suction — the most of any Roomba to date.
iRobot recently released the Roomba Max 705 Combo ($1,299.99), an upgraded version of the Roomba Max 705. The step-up model comes with a new self-deploying mop cover to protect carpets from getting wet, along with an extendable mop that cleans corners and wall edges for a more thorough clean.
The new Eufy Robot Vacuum Omni E28 ($799.99 with code WS24T2352111$999.99) is a self-emptying, self-refilling, and self-washing robot vacuum / mop hybrid. The vac comes with a deep cleaner integrated into the charging dock, which you can use to spray clean water on stains before sucking everything into a separate wastewater tank. It’s also powerful, boasting up to 20,000Pa of suction power, and offers AI-powered obstacle detection and Matter support.
The Dreame X50 Ultra ($1,259.99$1,699.99) adds a “motorized swing arm” that acts like a leg, allowing the robovac to climb a transition up to 6cm tall. Otherwise, it’s a lot like the X40 Ultra, only with higher suction power.
The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni ($899.99$1,399.99) is the first Deebot with a roller mop. It features an extendable mop that can clean itself, boasts 18,000Pa of suction power, and comes with a redesigned auto-empty fill dock.
The Switchbot K10 Plus Pro Combo ($379.99 with on-page coupon 399.99) is an upgrade to the compact K10 Plus, a previous pick for the best robot vacuum for small spaces. It has better obstacle detection and a bump up to 3,000Pa of suction power. Plus, its auto-empty dock incorporates a manual stick vacuum.
The Switchbot S20 robot vacuum / mop hybrid ($640 with code SLOD20$799.99), which looks like the Switchbot S20 Pro announced at CES, launched in early August. It features an extendable roller mop and side brush, as well as 15,000Pa of suction power, which is more than twice that of our previous pick for the best mopping vacuum (the last-gen S10).
SharkNinja’s PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro 2-in-1 robot vacuum / mop ($699.99$999.99) can lift itself over rugs by up to 20mm. Uniquely, its automatic empty /wash / dry cleaning station doesn’t require bags.
Roborock’s Qrevo Curv ($1,099.99 $1,599.99) can raise itself to clear thresholds up to 40mm. The svelte-looking bot gets its name from a curved FlexiArm Arc side brush, which helps prevent hair from tangling as much.
Narwal’s Freo Z Ultra ($949.99 with on-page coupon $1,499.99) is an upgrade to my current pick for the best mopping bot. It features dual cameras and dual AI chips for seeing and identifying objects, which should help with obstacle detection and vacuuming methods.
The Eufy S1 Pro ($949.99 with on-page coupon $1,499.99) has a long roller mop that self-cleans as it mops and features a square-ish design that allows it to get into corners more easily. A single rubber roller brush, 8,000Pa of suction, and 3D-powered obstacle detection tackle the vacuuming.
Suction power is measured in pascals (Pa), and while most vacuums offer between 5,000 and 8,000, we’re starting to see robots with 18,000 and even 22,000Pa. Higher suction power will do a better job getting the fine dust and debris off your floor, but it’s important that it’s paired with effective brushes. The real key to a clean floor with a robot vac is consistency. Run it daily if you can; it won’t keep up as well if it only runs once a week. If you want hands-free cleaning everywhere, you’ll want to budget for one per floor or be prepared to move it around. You can also buy extra charging bases, and most models can map multiple floors.
Yes, every Wi-Fi-connected robot vacuum worth its salt today works with Alexa or Google smart speakers for voice control. However, some are limited to stop, start, pause, and maybe suction level, whereas others can be told to go clean specific areas. Here’s how to set up a bot with Alexa voice control or Google Home voice control. A couple of manufacturers now also work with Siri Shortcuts, so you can use Apple’s Siri voice assistant to command your bot. Robot vacuums are now part of Matter, meaning more opportunities for smart home integration and native Siri voice control for robot vacuums.
Matter is a new smart home standard that allows connected gadgets to work with any smart home platform, including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. When connected to your smart home platform through Matter, you should be able to control basic robot actions including start / stop and changing cleaning modes, as well as get alerts directly in the app, meaning you won’t need to use the manufacturer’s app for these functions.The latest Matter spec, Matter 1.4, adds support for cleaning specific areas, so while you will still need the manufacturer app to set up a map, you will be able to use your smart home platform app and / or voice assistant to direct the robot to do things like clean the kitchen or clean downstairs. Samsung SmartThings and Amazon both support robot vacuums in Matter; Apple added it to iOS 18.4, and Google said support is coming soon.While Amazon Alexa and Google Home have supported robot vacuums for years via the cloud, Matter will bring this control locally. It will also bring support to Apple Home for the first time, allowing you to control them with Siri through HomePods and add them to scenes and automation.There are still relatively few robot vacuums that support Matter. As of September 2025, that list includes:Ecovacs X8 Pro OmniEcovacs Deebot X2 ComboSwitchBot S20SwitchBot S10SwitchBot K10 Pro PlusSwitchBot K10 PlusDreame X50 UltraDreame X40 UltraRoborock Saros 10 and 10RRoborock Saros Z70Roborock S8 MaxV UltraRoomba Combo 10
Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Update, September 5th: Adjusted pricing / availability. Sheena Vasani also contributed to this post.
Materials science company Dow has joined forces with Gruppo Fiori to unveil a new process in the recycling of polyurethane (PU) waste from end-of-life vehicles.
This process facilitates the recovery of PU materials without the need for disassembling the vehicles, leveraging Dow’s materials science expertise and Gruppo Fiori’s automotive recycling network to forge a new direction for the reuse of vehicle materials.
According to Dow, PU foam plays a crucial role in the composition of automotive interiors, with an average car containing approximately 28kg of the material, of which 10-15kg is found in the seating.
The potential for sustainability impact is considerable given the volume of PU used.
This process ensures the purity required for depolymerisation, or chemical recycling, and contributes to a circular automotive supply chain.
Furthermore, the innovation allows industrial-scale recycling and PU reuse in mobility applications, supports the production of polyol with recycled content, and assists in meeting upcoming mandatory recycled content requirements as stipulated by the End of Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR).
It also aligns with original equipment manufacturers’ (OEMs) sustainability objectives.
Dow Polyurethanes global MobilityScience marketing director Esther Quintanilla said: “Collaboration is essential to building a closed-loop supply chain for the automotive industry.
“By partnering with Gruppo Fiori, we aim to help OEMs and component manufacturers meet their sustainability goals and regulatory requirements for recycled content without sacrificing the performance benefits of polyurethanes.”
The announcement follows last year’s memorandum of understanding between Dow and Gruppo Fiori, which aimed to establish a new ecosystem for the recycling of end-of-life vehicle parts and materials.
The partnership has involved analysing the processes of dismantling, evaluating the recovered materials’ recyclability as well as purity, and piloting business models via an expedited “test-and-learn” approach.
Last year, Dow announced the commencement of commercial operations at its Polyurethanes Systems House in Ahlen, Germany, for its new Voratron adhesive and gap filler production line.
“Dow and Gruppo Fiori unveil new process for automotive PU recycling” was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.
The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
After a down-to-the-wire season-opening game between the Eagles and Cowboys, Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season continues on Friday from Brazil.
It’s another divisional clash at the beginning of the season, with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo. For the Chiefs, the standard and goals are simple: Make it back to the Super Bowl and avenge last season’s loss on the game’s biggest stage. The Chargers are looking to build on a solid first season by head coach Jim Harbaugh, who led the team to an 11-6 record in 2024 before a loss in the wild-card round.
The Chargers will need to overcome recent history to head back stateside 1-0 — per ESPN research, the Chiefs’ 0.864 winning percentage against Los Angeles since 2014 is tied with the Packers (vs. the Bears) and Patriots (vs. the Jets) for the best win percentage by a team against a divisional opponent over that span. Kansas City has also won six consecutive games in the month of September, the longest active streak in the NFL.
Can Kansas City get off on the right foot in its quest for a third Super Bowl ring in four seasons? Or will Los Angeles open the season with a win and make an early statement in the AFC West?
Follow along all night for sights and sounds from São Paulo, as well as live updates and highlights from Chiefs-Chargers in Brazil:
