Ecovacs is expanding its product line from robot vacuums to include window, lawn, and pool cleaning robots, positioning itself as a home robotics company. The strategy involves sharing 80% of core robotic technology across its product range, with the remaining 20% optimized for specific environments. This approach aims to accelerate growth by quickly expanding a single technology base into multiple service robots.
On September 4, during a media session at IFA 2026 in Berlin, Ecovacs unveiled its long-term strategy. The company showcased its flagship products, including the robot vacuum 'Deebot,' the window cleaning robot 'Winbot,' the robotic lawn mower 'Goat,' and the pool cleaning robot 'Ultramarine.'
David Chen, CEO of Ecovacs, stated, "We utilize about 80% of our core technology in common and optimize the remaining 20% for each specific usage environment." This method allows the company to apply proven technologies across various product lines without redeveloping robotics, sensing, motion control, cleaning, and power management technologies from scratch.
The push to expand its product range is driven by growth outside the indoor robot vacuum market. In the first half of this year, global shipments of service robots increased by 44.1% compared to the same period last year, with overseas sales in new categories such as window cleaning, lawn mowing, and pool cleaning rising by 75.1%. In the second quarter, overseas sales accounted for over half of total sales for the first time, reaching 51%.
Ecovacs' vertical integration, with research and development and manufacturing kept in-house, also supports its expansion. The company employs over 900 R&D personnel and invested 554 million yuan (approximately $112 million) in R&D in the first half of this year. It has secured more than 3,100 patents.
The market for each product category is also broadening. The Deebot robot vacuum is used in over 1.6 million households in Europe, and according to Ecovacs, it holds a 75% market share in the European roller wash robot vacuum segment. The Winbot is used in more than 1.5 million households worldwide, and the robotic lawn mower Goat has entered 35 countries.
This year's IFA has also emphasized robotics as a key exhibition theme. The 'IFA Next' space for future technologies features around 300 companies and institutions, and a 'Robots on the Runway' event showcases humanoid robots on stage. This shift in focus from home appliances to physical AI and service robots aligns with Ecovacs' strategy to broaden its business scope.
Looking ahead, Ecovacs envisions a future where multiple robots are connected as a single 'robot fleet' to share tasks inside and outside the home. Chen remarked, "The future of home robotics lies not in creating more products, but in freeing people from repetitive daily tasks."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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