While other robot vacuums are busy bumping into things around your home and making a racket, Shark's latest model is taking a different approach to cleaning up messes.

The affectionately named PowerDetect UV Reveal 2-In-1 Vac & Mop uses ultraviolet light and an RGB camera to detect stains, pet urine, and stuck-on muck that are hard to see. It gets to work with 'HyperSonic Mopping' to scrub it off a range of floor types. It then verifies it's done its job before heading off to find its next target.

This flagship model is equipped with a single roller brush for vacuuming, as well as a mop pad for scrubbing floors. Onboard AI helps it figure out the best way to go about cleaning up a mess it spots with its UV tech, be it liquid spills, dirt, hair, or crumbs.

Shark says this baby will handle dirt hiding in room edges and can lift itself over obstacles like raised thresholds. It uses an array of sensors, LiDAR, and cameras to find its way around your space and avoid obstacles – though it can only map a single floor. It'll also intelligently skip the mop pad when it only needs to vacuum up debris, so your floors stay dry all day.

The PowerDetect UV robovac can run for more than three hours on a single charge, and takes care of cleaning itself up. That includes self emptying debris into a washable bin that should hold up to a month's worth of crud, cleaning its own mop pad with hot water and drying it with hot air, and self-refilling with clean water from a tank inside its dock. A companion mobile app lets you schedule cleaning and switch between various modes, and buttons on the robovac's top panel let you run it without the need for said app or Wi-Fi connectivity.

Shark claims it's the first product of its kind to use UV light to spot stains. But as The Verge noted, there are other high-end robovacs with advanced dirt detection tech, like the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai which is yet to arrive stateside, and the 'proactive light'-equipped Dreame X60 that can adapt its cleaning methods to tackle stubborn stains.

At US$1,299, the PowerDetect UV is a fair bit more expensive than some basic but well-loved models like the Roborock Q7 M5+; it's actually the same current price as one of our recent premium favorites, the Narwal Flow, and a bit lower than the aforementioned Dreame X60. Between its mopping capabilities, UV detection tech, and self-cleaning chops, it could be one worth considering if you've got children and pets who frequently leave your home in a state of disarray.

Product page: PowerDetect UV Reveal 2-In-1 Vac & Mop

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