LG has pushed robot vacuum design into oddly elegant territory with the HomeBot AI Objet Collection RONi, a new robot vacuum that pairs AI navigation with a 100°C dual-steam system and a dock that can disappear under furniture. It comes in two versions: one built around a hidden station tucked into kitchen cabinetry, and another that looks more like a standalone piece of home decor. Clever? Yes. Slightly theatrical? Also yes.
The timing makes sense. Robot vacuums have long struggled to look less like appliances and more like something people want to live with, while premium rivals keep adding smarter obstacle detection, better mopping, and fancier docks. LG’s answer is to bundle those upgrades with the one thing many buyers still dislike most: a robot vacuum that is always visually present.
Hidden Station and Objet Station
The Hidden Station version integrates into kitchen furniture and handles automatic water supply and drainage without requiring the cabinetry to be rebuilt. The Objet Station takes a different route, turning the dock into an interior object that can sit anywhere in the home. In both cases, the station closes automatically and hides the robot when it is not in use.
That matters because dock design has become a quiet battleground in premium home robotics. Roborock, Dreame, and others have already made self-emptying and self-cleaning bases common; LG is now trying to make the base itself less of an eyesore.
100°C steam cleaning and mop sanitation
The standout feature is the dual steam treatment at 100°C. During cleaning, steam is used to loosen dirt, while after the run the station washes and disinfects the mops with hot steam and water, removing up to 99.99% of common bacteria. A hot-air drying system then removes moisture and odors.
For buyers who care as much about hygiene as dust pickup, that combination is the real pitch. Steam mopping has been inching into the mainstream for a while, but pairing it with automatic mop sterilization is LG’s way of making the feature sound less like a gimmick and more like a practical upgrade.
30 W suction and AI obstacle detection
- Suction power: 30 W
- Rotating pads: 180 revolutions per minute
- Side brush: retractable for tight corners
- Object recognition: more than 120 types, including cables and interior items
LG also says the robot uses AI to adjust its cleaning route depending on the room, which is the sort of promise every premium vacuum makes now. The better ones are finally getting good enough to avoid the usual comedy of errors around socks, cords, and chair legs.
LG Shield and the July 2 launch
LG is also leaning on privacy and security messaging. The company says the robot includes LG Shield data encryption, and its camera automatically hides after cleaning is finished. That’s a small detail, but in a category increasingly filled with cameras, mics, and app connectivity, small details are the point.
Sales of LG RONi begin on 2 July. The open question is whether the hidden dock and steam-heavy pitch are enough to pull buyers away from more established premium robots, or whether this ends up as one of those impressive launches that other brands quietly copy a year later.