Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal review: This robot vacuum gets rid of stains

The Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal is the latest robot vacuum and mop from SharkNinja. A flagship model with a multi-function base that empties, refills and washes the dustbin, the Reveal’s signature feature is a UV light designed to “find” stains on your floors. It costs $1,299.99 and is available now.

With an RGB camera to detect visible clutter and obstructions, the UV light allows for the removal of stains that are not visible under normal lighting, such as pet urine. When it encounters dirt, whether visible or not, the robot uses onboard AI to identify and decide how to clean it.

Its cleaning tools include a vacuum with a single rotating brush and a wide, flat mop pad that can vibrate to clean floors. The robot can check to see if the mess has been removed before moving on or return after the main cleanup to tackle it again.

I’ve been testing PowerDetect UV Reveal for a few days, and the feature was impressive. When the robot runs into a mess — whether it’s ketchup, strawberry jam, or invisible “pet urine” (I went with lemonade) — it stops, inspects it, and then methodically cleans it up. It’s been successful with everything I’ve put out so far.

While UV light makes a great show, you really only need it for invisible spots. Since most dirt on the floor is easy for the camera to detect, I can’t see the light being useful on a daily basis. But this is what the robot does when it identifies chaos that impressed me.

Instead of just cleaning your floors like most robot places do, Reveal effectively targets messes by adapting its path and methods to clean them. While many advanced robots can detect dirty areas and clean them repeatedly, Reveal’s approach is more targeted.

This isn’t the first robot with AI-powered spot detection skills. Uses Samsung’s Bespoke Jet Bot Combo Artificial intelligence for spot detectionThe Dreame X60 has a camera and “anticipatory light” To see stains and adapt to cleaning them.

However, the closest competitor may be Dyson’s latest robot vacuum cleaner, Spot + Scrub AI. It uses a camera and green laser to highlight dirt and can “identify, react, inspect and clean,” according to Dyson. Spot isn’t available in the US yet, so I haven’t tested it. I Saw a show last year.

The PowerDetect UV Reveal is an upgrade from the Shark’s PowerDetect Never touch And newer Thermacharge Robot vacuum and mop. The biggest changes are the stain detection system and mop cleaning motion. The multi-functional charging base and the robot itself have also been subtly redesigned and appear more refined.

The Reveal uses a flat mopping pad that automatically disconnects and reconnects depending on whether it is mopping the floor or cleaning a carpeted room. The pad extends a few millimeters on both sides to clean along the edges. Overall, cleansing is similar VibraRise feature in Roborock vacuumsIt is one of my favorite cleansing systems.

In my testing of robotic electric mops, I’ve found that vibrating flat mop pads are good for hard floors, where the drum mops and rotary mop pads that are now so popular among robot manufacturers are more effective for tiled or more varied surfaces — where you need to get into cracks and crevices. One big advantage of flat mop pads is that they are slimmer and less prone to tangling.

As with all Shark robot vacuums, the Reveal’s self-emptying base doesn’t use bags; Instead, it uses a washable basket that you empty into the trash. Comes with a deodorizer tray to help eliminate any odors. Another upgrade with Reveal is that the dock washes the mop with 185°F hot water and dries it with 175°F hot air to aid in sanitation.

The Reveal features Shark’s NeverStuck feature, which lifts the robot’s body to get over obstacles like room thresholds and high-pile carpets. The robot uses lidar, cameras and other sensors for navigation, which Shark calls NeuroNav AI, and this helps it get out of difficult situations.

It did a good job of navigating my living room area and even avoiding tripping under a narrow coffee table and on the long legs of a chaise lounge, two areas where heavier, less nimble robots often stumble.

As a vacuum, the Reveal performed well when dealing with pet hair, Cheerios, and dried oatmeal messes on hardwood floors, but the single-bristle and cloth rotating brush wasn’t very effective at removing hair or oatmeal flakes from my thick-pile carpet. Shark doesn’t release specifications on suction power.

Detecting and avoiding obstacles is decent; I avoided cables, socks, and thick shoes without a problem. But they sucked on my wired headphones.

I like how it gives a little light show to give you a visual indication of what the robot is doing. Purple shows dirt that has been detected and will boost suction, blue indicates a stain, and red is an error message. However, my favorite useless feature is how the robot moves slightly each time it exits the base; It’s honestly adorable.

One problem with every Shark robot vacuum I’ve tested is how loud and vibrating they get. This is still the case with detection. Even on medium power (there are three suction levels), it’s a noisy beast.

A noteworthy feature, in light of recent news about Lax security for DJI’s Romo robotic vacuumIs that Shark says the spot detection feature processes images locally and does not send the data to the cloud. The camera cannot be accessed by the user and is only used for cleaning, not as a security camera, which is what some brands provide.

The SharkClean app is simple and easy to navigate, but it’s fairly basic. Getting started with running is easy and straightforward; Choose from a vacuum or vacuum and mop, and you can choose from three suction levels and three water flow levels. You can clean specific rooms and spot clean, but you cannot customize cleaning by room. There is also the option to set schedules.

Mapping was fast and accurate, and it was easy to divide rooms, add no-go zones, and name areas. However, it can only map one floor, which means that if you have multiple floors, you’ll have to move the robot, its dock, and reset each time.

The vacuum can also work without the app or a Wi-Fi connection; You can control it using the buttons on the device out of the box. However, you will lose features such as appointment, scheduling, and other settings.

The Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal is a leading vacuum and mop, and its stain detection feature worked well in my tests. There are fewer bells and whistles than premium models from Roborock and Dreame, but they also cost a few hundred dollars less, and their application is easier to navigate.

Although the Reveal doesn’t excel in every category, and the UV light feels weird at times, the targeted spot cleaning works very well. It’s one of the most truly useful new ideas in robotic vacuum cleaners — helping transform the robot from a passive cleaner into something closer to an active housekeeper.

Photos and video by Jennifer Pattison Toohey/The Verge