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Robots are having a moment with the federal government — and it’s not all positive. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced a ban on foreign-made advanced mobile robots, a category that covers a ton of different types of robots. And while you probably don’t have a walking, talking robot in your living room yet, you might have something else the ban touches: a robot vacuum.
That everyday cleaning gadget falls squarely into the category now facing new restrictions, and it has nothing to do with battery recalls or overheating parts. Here’s what you need to know.
Why are robot vacuums being banned?
Late last week, the FCC added advanced robotic devices and foreign-made power inverters to its Covered List, the government’s running roster of tech that’s considered too risky to trust. The list flags communications equipment and services the FCC says pose “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons.”
What that means in practice is that anything on the list can’t get FCC equipment authorization. And without that authorization, a product typically can’t be imported, marketed or sold in the United States.
So why robots? According to the FCC’s National Security Determination, it comes down to what these devices can see and record. Robots are often packed with high-tech sensors that are constantly gathering data about the spaces they move through.
The concern isn’t just what the sensors collect, though. It’s also how the devices connect. Because robots typically operate on networks, the FCC notes they’re vulnerable to the same risks as any connected device: getting hacked, having data stolen or even losing control of the device itself.
What is covered under the robot ban?
While the ban seems mostly aimed at humanoid and animal-like robots, the “advanced robotic devices” category casts a much wider net. If a device checks these boxes, it qualifies for the ban,:
- It can move, navigate or avoid obstacles on its own.
- It operates remotely, either through human control or by responding to sensor data.
- The device (plus any docking station) weighs more than 4.4 pounds combined.
- It has a sensor that reads its surroundings, can connect to a network at 200 kbps or faster, or runs software — including AI or machine-learning models — that controls how it moves, senses its environment or receives remote commands.
Sounds like your vacuum, right? That’s because it probably is. Most robot vacuums move around on their own, connect to your Wi-Fi, gather data about your home’s layout and many weigh in above that 4.4-pound threshold. Put it all together, and they check enough boxes to land on the list.
What happens if you already have a robot vacuum?
If your robot vacuum is already part of your cleaning routine, take a breath: It’s not going to stop working, and no one’s coming to confiscate it. The ban only applies to new foreign-produced advanced robotic devices — but since so many robot vacuums are made (or built with components made) outside the U.S., that covers the vast majority of what’s currently on the market. The key word there is new. For now, you can still buy any of the existing models that are already available at retailers.
Robot vacuums you can still shop
As mentioned, the existing inventory of robot vacuums in the United States are still up for grabs. With that in mind, I’ve rounded up robot vacuums that are still available to shop today — some are even on sale (at the time of publishing).
NBC Selected commerce editor Cory Fernandez tested this model as a first-time robot vacuum owner and says it took him just about 15 minutes to understand how everything worked. The robot vacuums and mops, while its base station empties debris, dumps dirty water, refills clean water, dries mop pads and recharges the battery on its own. It also offers advanced navigation, obstacle avoidance, room mapping, no-go zones and customizable routines through the Eufy app.
The Lefant M210 is a compact vacuum built for small spaces and homes with pets. At 11 inches in diameter and less than 3 inches tall, it easily cleans under beds, sofas and other low furniture. Instead of a traditional roller brush, it uses a suction port that pulls in pet hair and dirt without the tangling that roller brushes are prone to. It also offers six cleaning modes, infrared sensors to navigate around furniture and avoid falls, and app, Alexa or Google Assistant controls. When the battery runs low, it automatically returns to its charging dock, making it a low-maintenance option for everyday upkeep.
The Roborock Q7 L5 vacuums and mops your floors at the same time, using strong suction to pull dirt out of carpets and crevices while a laser mapping system helps it find the most efficient path around your home. It’s built with anti–tangle brushes meant to resist hair wrapping, so you don’t have to clean them out as often, and the mop pads can clean dried-on stains from floors. You can use the app to set cleaning schedules and pick which rooms the vac should avoid.
The iRobot Roomba 105 Vac cleans your floors on its own, using much stronger suction than older Roomba models, plus a brush along the edges and a main brush pick up different kinds of dirt. It uses laser mapping to scan and remember the layout of your home, so it can clean more thoroughly instead of bumping around randomly. You can control it through an app, which lets you schedule cleanings, focus on specific rooms and skip others.
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Regardless of the size of your home or the complexity of your cleaning routine, one thing is a given: You’ll need a reliable vacuum. While upright, stick, cordless vacuums, and robot vacuums have been amongst some of the most popular types in most recent years, there’s a lesser-known model that’s gaining traction: the self-emptying cordless vacuum.
This vacuum usually involves a cordless device that autonomously empties its own dustbin while docked, which helps keep your pricey cleaning appliance in great shape. To find the best self-emptying cordless stick vacuums available today, and to learn more about how they actually work, I spoke with multiple home appliance experts. They shared their guidance on what to look for when shopping, as well as the benefits of having this innovative home device.
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The best self-emptying cordless stick vacuums
Below are top-rated self-emptying stick vacuums from premium brands we’ve covered at NBC Selected, including Dyson, Shark, Levoit and more.
This popular cordless vacuum from Shark, which launched in 2022, weighs only around 11 pounds and it comes with a dock that charges it and is used for self-emptying). After cleaning, you can reattach the vacuum to the dock, where it then empties into the attached, 1.3-liter dustbin, which holds up to 30 days worth of debris, according to the brand. It also works as a handheld vacuum and comes with a crevice tool and a pet hair brush attachment for cleaning hair from upholstery.
You can get it in basic (which includes these two attachments) or a premium version, which comes with a motorized pet hair attachment instead of the regular upholstery tool. Shoppers say they love the self-emptying feature and how well the vacuum cleans pet hair from carpet.
The Levoit Aero has an exceptionally long runtime of 70 minutes, making it easy to vacuum the whole house without needing to recharge, according to one reviewer. It also comes with a charging dock that attaches to a dustbin and allows you to use the vacuum’s auto-emptying feature. The dustbin holds up to 60 days worth of debris, according to the brand, and it works on both hardwood floors and low-pile carpets. It also comes with several attachments, including a crevice tool, a motorized brush tool and an extension hose.
People who bought the vacuum say that it’s effective on both carpet and hard surfaces. Plus, they say that it’s very lightweight, making it easy to move around the house.
The Shark PowerDetect Pet Plus also has an extra-long runtime of 70 minutes. It comes with a crevice tool for cleaning furniture and a pet hair attachment that shoppers say is great for cleaning pet hair that clings to upholstery and different surfaces, including carpet, bedding, pillows and sofas. Plus, it comes with an odor-neutralizing “puck,” which goes inside a cartridge and helps keep debris in the dustbin from getting smelly. It also works while moving both backwards and forwards, which isn’t a feature I see with every vac.
This new Dyson vacuum performs similarly to its super-popular cordless models, like the V8, V10 and V15, but it comes with a dock both for charging and for self emptying. The vacuum charges for up to 4 hours and when you’re done cleaning, you can reattach it to the dock so it can use the auto-emptying feature to transfer what it picked up to the 2.5-liter dustbin, which holds up to 60 days worth of debris, according to Dyson.
Like with other cordless Dysons, this model also works as a handheld vacuum and it comes with a crevice tool and motorized brush attachment. It also has conical-shaped brushbars that make it easy to clean up hair without it tangling, according to the brand. Plus, it has a light at the front to help you see debris as you clean. Shoppers also say they enjoy how lightweight the vacuum is.
The Tineco Go cordless vacuum comes with a crevice tool and two brush attachments, one of which is meant to clean up pet hair without it becoming tangled. It has a runtime of 60 minutes and comes with a 2.5 liter-capacity charging dock, which is also where it transfers debris to the dustbin. The dustbin holds up to 45 days worth of debris, according to the brand. There’s also a headlight at the front of the vacuum to help you see more debris and it has a small display that uses a color system to show how much debris it’s cleaning up. The appliance also works as a handheld vacuum.
How I picked the best self-emptying cordless stick vacuums
Here is what our experts recommend keeping in mind when deciding on which self-emptying vacuum is best for your home and cleaning needs.
Ease of use: The best part of a self-emptying vacuum, as you can imagine, is that it simply makes cleaning your home more effortless. With most other cordless and upright vacuums, you have to manually press a button to open the dustbin and many times, much of the debris doesn’t come out on its own. A self-emptying model avoids this process.
“Consumers just want cleaning to be easier,” says Andy Sundberg*, vice president of global marketing at SharkNinja. Being able to remove one more cleaning task from your routine “makes a real difference over months and years of ownership.” Shark released its first self-emptying cordless vacuum (the Shark Clean & Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum & Auto-Empty System BU3521) in 2022, and the brand has since released other models with similar technology.
Self-emptying dock: Many cordless vacuums available today charge via a dock that holds the vacuum upright. Brands like Shark, Dyson, Tineco and Levoit have also made docks that, in addition to charging the battery, have a motor that transfers the debris from the vacuum’s dustbin to the dock’s dustbin, according to Sundberg.
“When you return the vacuum to its dock, a separate motor in the dock pulls debris out of the vacuum and into a larger collection bin, so you’re not emptying the dust cup after every clean,” he says. This technology allows the vacuum to clean up and transfer, not just tiny particles, but large pieces of debris like pet hair, according to Sundberg. “Some systems rely on disposable bags that need to be replaced over time, while others use a bagless design that lets you empty the dock only occasionally.”
*Any inclusion of Shark vacuums in this story was made independently of Sundberg, who we only consulted for shopping tips and guidance. We did not ask Sundberg for product recommendations.
How to shop for self-emptying cordless stick vacuums
These are a few factors you should consider when shopping for a self-emptying cordless vacuum.
Decide on a budgetSimilar to robot vacuums that come with a self-emptying feature, cordless-vacuums with self-emptying dustbins can be expensive, with prices often around $200 at the lowest end and up to around $700 at the higher end. The main differences between vacuums, including self-emptying cordless models, that determine their price are things like runtime and dustbin capacity.
If you have a large home and don’t want to have to charge the vacuum too often, it may be worth buying a higher-end model like the Dyson V10 Konical cordless vacuum, but if you simply enjoy the self-emptying feature, a more affordable one like the option like Shark Clean & Empty cordless vacuum works, too.
Consider the size of your homeAdditionally, you should consider how much time it might take to clean your home, particularly if you prefer to clean the entire thing all at once. A short runtime, of around 40 minutes for example, might be enough to clean a few bedrooms at a time, but it definitely won’t last cleaning the living and dining rooms at the same time unless you have a small place. Sixty minutes is often a great middle ground when it comes to runtime for self-emptying cordless vacuums.
Frequently asked questions
The main benefits of a self-emptying cordless vacuum are that it helps make cleaning faster and easier, because “you don’t have to spend
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