From the drone world to the living room, a new gadget tests the boundaries of what ‘smart’ means at home. DJI’s Romo isn’t just a vacuum with fancy sensors; it’s a statement that drone-grade perception can live far from the skies. It promises precision in tight corners, from cluttered living rooms to pet zones, using LiDAR and vision rather than simple bump sensors. If you’ve waited for a vacuum to feel more like a gadget than a chore, this is it.

DJI Romo vacuum

The Romo lineup arrives in three variants—S, A, and P—with a European price ladder that starts around €1,300 and can climb to about €1,900 for the top configuration. In its current form, the model is focused on European markets with no confirmed U.S. release date. The product packaging emphasizes a clear design language, and DJI positions the Romo as a quarterback for home perception just as its drones rely on advanced sensing to avoid obstacles. The base station and the vacuum’s on-board sensors aim to deliver a level of control that mirrors flagship drones, even as the device handles everyday chores rather than aerial missions. The Verge corroborates the tiered options and the feature set, highlighting the three configurations and the emphasis on advanced sensing.

The core tech is where the Romo borrows from the sky: LiDAR and multiple cameras work together to map rooms, detect objects as thin as 2 millimeters, and distinguish carpeted zones from clear floor space. DJI’s claim that it can operate better in low light than many rivals rests on how LiDAR uses pulsed lasers to gauge distance, a method common in its aerial systems. In practice, that means the Romo aims to vacuum around furniture and cords with fewer stumbles than typical consumer robots. DJI also suggests it can identify carpeted areas and adjust cleaning patterns accordingly, a nod to the sort of scene understanding that helps a drone navigate complex airspace on a daily basis.

The Romo’s three flavors—S, A, and P—keep the conversation anchored to value. The S tier represents the entry point, while P includes extras such as a floor deodorizer and UV disinfection, signaling how drone-grade hardware could cross over into hygiene and home maintenance. Suction power is a robust 25,000 Pa across variants, and a 164 ml water tank supports mopping with dual spinning pads. Price is a meaningful signal for consumers and retailers alike: a Europe-first rollout often tests the waters before any broader push. Gizmodo’s Kyle Barr noted these specifics in his hands-on reporting, including the two base-station options and the back-room demonstrations seen at IFA 2025.

Beyond the hardware, Romo raises questions about data handling and privacy. DJI says its feeds require two-factor authentication to access, and it emphasizes video data encryption. In a market where cameras and sensors are the norm, such safeguards are essential to reassure potential buyers and policymakers that more capable robots won’t become privacy liabilities. The broader implication is that consumer robots are becoming more like networked platforms that carry the kind of security considerations long discussed for drones. The presence of cameras at eye level in a home interior invites a nuanced debate about who can access those feeds and under what conditions.

For readers who track the drone industry, Romo’s arrival is a telling example of cross-pollination. Even as this device is not designed to fly, its sensing stack borrows heavily from DJI’s air-borne systems, including obstacle avoidance and precise depth sensing. In the market, Romo sits among high-end robovacs such as Roborock’s Qrevo Curv and the Dreame X50, which compete on power, mopping capability, and smarter navigation. Yet none of these rivals showcase the same transparent shell or the same emphasis on drone-grade perception. That distinction matters for both branding and the future of home robotics, where sensor sophistication can translate into fewer cleaning misses and more predictable performance. Gizmodo’s reporting situates Romo as a bellwether for where consumer robotics is headed: more capable perception, more integration with home networks, and a willingness to experiment with new form factors.

Regulatory context adds a layer of complexity that industry watchers should not overlook. The U.S. government has signaled ongoing scrutiny of DJI amid national-security concerns, with a potential ban looming as Windows and other procurement channels weigh the risks. Barr notes that no U.S. security agency has publicly backed the company, a fact that tempers optimism about a U.S. launch in the near term. This regulatory backdrop matters because it shapes where DJI can effectively compete and how quickly its consumer robotics line could scale in key markets. The same dynamic has already influenced other product decisions in the drone sector, and Romo’s fate could be a bellwether for how drone technologies migrate into the home arena.

From a practical standpoint, Romo signals a broader trend: the diversification of drone tech into adjacent markets. It’s not just about flying machines anymore; it’s about applying high-end perception and control systems to autonomous floor care. For defense planners, the message is similarly clear: sensor architecture developed for skies can be repurposed to secure indoor environments, with appropriate privacy protections. For consumers, the message is simpler: expect smarter home helpers that think about your furniture layout, your pets, and your floors as part of a single ecosystem. This is a pivotal moment for the drone industry, illustrating how cross-pollination accelerates product capabilities and reshapes consumer expectations. Altogether, the Romo case shows that the line between drone and home robot is blurring in practical, market-ready ways.

Conclusion

DJI’s Romo vacuum encapsulates a trend toward sensor-rich, drone-grade perception migrating into everyday devices. It highlights how cross-domain innovation can push the entire robotics market forward, even as regulatory realities complicate rollout plans. For readers, the key takeaway is this: drone tech isn’t confined to the sky anymore. It’s quietly rewriting how we clean, monitor, and connect our homes—and that shift will shape product design, policy, and competitive strategy in the years ahead.