Technology
Matic's New Gesture Control Lets You Point at Messes for Spot Cleaning
The robot vacuum maker has launched Matic Cues, adding voice and gesture recognition to its cleaning robot—a feature that sets it apart from competing vacuums.
The Verge
Matic has released Matic Cues, a new software update introducing voice and gesture control to its robot vacuum. The upgrade lets owners direct their vacuum by pointing at specific areas or issuing natural-language voice commands, launching today at 2 p.m. ET through the Matic app.
A Fresh Approach to Spot Cleaning#
The standout feature is gesture-based targeting. Users activate the vacuum with "Hey, Matic," wait for it to orient toward their voice, then simply point at a mess and say "clean here." The robot understands that lower-pointing angles target smaller areas, while gestures from standing height cover wider zones. This approach addresses a longstanding frustration with app-based zone selection, which is often imprecise for quick cleanups. The capability works because Matic's founders—both former Google Nest computer vision specialists—have refined it over years, leveraging the vacuum's existing five-camera system to process everything locally on-device.
Natural Language Commands#
Beyond pointing, the vacuum's built-in voice assistant uses Google's Gemini API to understand flexible, conversational requests. It can handle intuitive commands like "vacuum the inside of the carpet" (skipping the tassels), "clean just the hard floors," or multi-step chains such as "clean the kitchen, vacuum the living room, and then mop the bathroom." The vacuum responds promptly from a room away and displays feedback on its small screen rather than speaking back.
Privacy and Performance Tradeoffs#
While the wake word is processed locally, commands travel to the cloud for processing—a necessary step, according to cofounder Mehul Nariyawala, to support more than 75 languages and command variety. Matic says command data is anonymized and plans to eventually bring the top 20-30 commands on-device. The feature is opt-in, and microphones can be disabled entirely. This balance between convenience and privacy reflects an ongoing tension in smart home design: more intuitive control often requires cloud connectivity, but fully local processing can feel rigid.
Timing and Price Changes#
The update arrives ahead of a planned price increase on September 9, when the robot's cost rises from $1,245 to $1,495. For current owners, Matic Cues rolls out to all existing robots at no additional charge.