A new entrant in the robot vacuum cleaner market in France, Narwal arrives with a powerful, complete device packed with interesting innovations. And it can also play the role of home guardian.
The robot vacuum cleaner market is full and every month seems to bring its new contender for success. Having arrived on tiptoe a few weeks ago, the Narwal brand will step up a gear in September with the launch of its first high-end model in France.
The Freo Z Ultra will arrive on September 25. It is a robot vacuum cleaner with an emptying and filling station that can also clean the device’s two rotating mops. It brings some interesting features such as more precise dust sensors and good suction power (12,000 Pa).
An AI camera that’s much smarter than it looks
A smart vacuum cleaner that is positioned, from a features point of view, at the top of the basket. Where it could however make a little difference in a competitive market is on its little ones next to it. It has a side fluffy brush to be fixed on its contour and which will allow to clean the dust and other dirt on the skirting boards of the walls to better make them fall and vacuum.
But above all, it has a dual RGB camera with AI on the front, where robot vacuum cleaners usually opt for a camera and a LiDAR or a simple laser. Sensors with two AI chips that scan the environment much better for obstacle detection, identification of no less than 120 types of objects, or to better define the type of dirt to clean or avoid (liquid, excrement, dust, crumbs, broken glass, etc.). This allows you to define the pressure to be exerted and adjust the cleaning level.
These cameras, like two eyes, also have a whole other advantage with their 136° field of vision and 1080p resolution: they can really act as a camera and film what is in their path. From the application, you can activate the vision in order to check the cleaning in progress or if the robot is stuck by an obstacle, but also monitor the premises.
The cameras can film a child, an animal or any other person on their path. This can also be used to check if an intruder is not on the premises. In addition, the built-in microphones allow you to communicate vocally with “the house”. You can thus scare away thieves, reassure a lonely animal or tell children to stop their mischief.
A security guard at home
An interesting concept that could appeal to the French who want to keep an eye on their home when they are away. While the Freo Z Ultra does not serve as a security camera, it can complement a notification received for a sensor alerting a door or window. Narwal specifies that it is also possible to launch the robot vacuum cleaner on the move without any cleaning in sight, simply to keep watch just in case.
Don’t worry about the videos taken, they don’t leave the robot vacuum cleaner and are not stored in the cloud, the company promises. When choosing to set up in France, there are multiple criteria to keep in mind and data confidentiality and security are part of them,” explains Elva Ge Dupuis, Narwal’s marketing manager for France.
Although the brand chose France after having learned the ropes in China and successfully attempted expansion in the United States, it recognizes that it is also a long process of adaptation to the demands of French consumers as well as to current regulations.
“You have higher requirements in Europe, especially in France,” she emphasizes, citing “the ecotax, the repairability index, multiple taxes and after-sales service measures.” “You really have to know the market and respect it before you get there.
In France, we have to keep the environment in mind and design our products to be repairable, have a repair center,” she explains.
Thus, the Freo Z Ultra has also been designed to limit unnecessary energy consumption (water and electricity) when cleaning mops. If the sensor detects that the latter do not need extreme washing, it will reduce the drying temperature to kill bacteria (40°C instead of 75°C).
Price and availability of the Narwal Freo Z Ultra
The Freo Z Ultra will go on sale on September 25th for 999 euros (in white or black) on Fnac.com and on Amazon. An attractive price when competing products from Roborock, iRobot, Ecovacs and many others are closer to 1400-1500 euros.
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