(Yicai) Jan. 10 -- Chinese cleaning appliance makers are showcasing prototype robot vacuum cleaners equipped with mechanical arms at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, hoping to gain an advantage in an increasingly competitive market.

Roborock Technology and Dreame Technology have brought robot vacuum cleaners with foldable mechanical arms to the annual CES, Yicai observed at the ongoing exhibition in Las Vegas. These limbs enable the devices to pick up and move small objects on the floor such as socks and shoes.

The products are still at the prototype stage and the two companies did not disclose a release date or pricing for them. 

Thanks to rapid advancements in recent years, Chinese manufacturers have emerged as leaders in the global robot vacuum market. In the third quarter of last year, worldwide shipments jumped 11 percent to about 5 million units from a year earlier, according to International Data Corporation.

Roborock ranked first with a market share of 16.4 percent, followed by US producer iRobot at 13.5 percent. The third to fifth positions were all held by Chinese companies, with Ecovacs Robotics, Xiaomi, and Dreame having market shares of 13.1 percent, 10.3 percent, and 7.6 percent, respectively.

The market kept growing in 2024, but competition among the top makers has intensified. There is a degree of product homogenization, so manufacturers are shortening iteration cycles and accelerating the pace of new product launches in order to stand out.

That puts additional pressure on producers to boost their research, development, and inventory management capabilities, IDC China analyst Zhao Siquan noted.

Mechanical arms are expected to be a big step forward and the technology is now largely mature, so more products with this feature are expected to launch in China within the next six months.

Moreover, robotic arms are expected to become more diverse in their design and functionality in the future, said Tian Yali, general manager of the environment and health appliances division at All View Cloud Data Technology.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Tom Litting