There are hundreds of pool cleaners on the market that promise a hands-free experience. But let’s be honest, most robotic cleaners fall short of that claim. While the robots handle the scrubbing, owners are still left with the manual chore of hauling a heavy, dripping machine out of the water and plugging it in to charge. All in all, it’s not quite the seamless experience promised in the product brochures. Mammotion, a company renowned for its innovation in autonomous lawn mowers, is looking to change that with the SPINO, a self-docking, cordless robotic pool cleaner, the company says delivers “a seamless, labour-free experience.”
Available in two variants, the S1 and S1 Pro, the SPINO series is designed for versatility and works across all common pool surfaces, including vinyl, concrete, tile, and fiberglass. We’ll be focusing on the S1 Pro here. What makes it truly stand out, and what helped it earn the Homecrux CES Excellence Award, is a robotic arm built into the charging dock that physically lifts the cleaner out of the water, sets it on the deck, and initiates charging, all without any input from the owner.
Mammotion calls this the AutoShoreCharge system, and in practice, it’s a bigger deal than it might sound on paper. For pool owners accustomed to hauling out a waterlogged cleaner after every cycle, this setup reduces the entire routine to little more than tapping a button and letting everything sort itself out.
Of course, a cleaner that docks itself is only as useful as its ability to find its way back. Mammotion addresses this with an underwater communications system that maintains a stable connection within a 10-meter radius of the dock, allowing the unit to navigate home accurately even in deeper pools or layouts with tight corners. Cleaning schedules and adjustments can also be managed through the Mammotion app.
Underwater navigation is handled by the ZonePilot AI Vision system, which draws on data from 18 sensors, including IMU, ToF, cameras, and pressure inputs, to map the pool layout and adapt its cleaning path on the fly. The hardware underneath is equally capable. Dual roller brushes, a two-stage filtration system rated at 20 μm and 180 μm, and five brushless motors work together to push up to 6,800 gallons per hour through the unit.
Additional features include ToF sensing that keeps the cleaner within less than a centimeter of pool walls, a meaningful advantage when tackling corners and edges where most cleaners almost give up. An IPX8 submersion rating and UV-resistant shell round out the build, making it well-suited to year-round outdoor use with minimal upkeep.
There is, however, one catch. The SPINO S1 Pro isn’t available on Amazon or Mammotion’s website, at least not yet. It’s currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, with a Super Early Bird price of $1,699 (a $800 discount off retail) and an Early Bird tier at $1,999. But here is the sad news. Mammotion will start shipping the Pro version in late November. For those who can’t wait, the company is, however, offering the SPINO S1, a stripped-back version without the self-docking station, priced at $899 on Kickstarter, with an estimated shipping date of June. For anyone hoping to have their pool sorted before summer is half over, that timeline is well worth keeping in mind.
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