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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Yes, it is real—but it is not a consumer robot vacuum. The machine is VERO, a research prototype from the Dynamic Legged Systems Laboratory at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa. Built on a Unitree AlienGo quadruped, VERO uses computer vision to locate cigarette butts and a vacuum nozzle mounted on one foot to collect them while it walks.
The project is especially interesting for construction and environmental robotics because it combines uneven-terrain mobility with a precise cleanup task. It is not, however, a general-purpose robot that can currently be bought to collect every kind of site waste.
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What is VERO?
VERO stands for Vacuum-cleaner Equipped RObot. IIT’s Dynamic Legged Systems Laboratory developed it as a field-robotics research platform, with the underlying work published in the Journal of Field Robotics in 2024.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The base machine is a Unitree AlienGo quadruped. Researchers mounted a commercial vacuum on its trunk and connected it through a hose to a custom 3D-printed nozzle attached to one leg. The published prototype therefore does not vacuum with all four feet. The researchers said the design could potentially be adapted to use two or four vacuum-equipped feet.
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VERO’s main target is discarded cigarette butts, particularly in outdoor areas such as parks, beaches, alleys and other spaces where small litter is scattered over uneven ground.
How the robot finds the litter
VERO does more than carry a hose. Its cleaning system combines several robotic functions:
- An operator designates the area to be cleaned.
- The robot follows an exploration route intended to cover that area.
- Onboard cameras capture images of the ground.
- A convolutional neural network identifies cigarette butts.
- Software filters duplicate detections.
- A path planner chooses an efficient order for approaching targets.
- Visual servoing helps position the vacuum-equipped foot accurately.
- An Intel RealSense depth camera near the robot’s chin assists with final positioning.
In simple terms, vision determines where a butt is, planning determines which one to approach next, and visual servoing helps place the nozzle close enough to suck it up.
How a vacuum foot works while walking
The nozzle is shaped to keep its suction opening near the ground without interfering too severely with the leg’s normal movement. The leg still has to support and move the robot, so VERO must coordinate balance, foot placement and suction at the same time.
That simultaneous operation is the project’s central technical idea. VERO is not simply stopping, using a leg as a stationary tool, and then continuing. The researchers describe it as an example of a legged robot using its legs for locomotion and another task concurrently.
The design involves a difficult compromise. A larger nozzle opening could cover more area, but it would require greater suction power or a smaller gap from the ground. Reducing that clearance increases the risk of striking stones, sand, steps or other obstacles. A construction-site version would face the same trade-off around rubble, uneven slabs, rebar and changing ground levels.
Why use a robot dog instead of a wheeled cleaner?
Wheeled machines are usually simpler, faster and more efficient on smooth pavement. They are a better choice for many large, flat cleaning areas. A quadruped becomes more useful where wheels may struggle: stairs, pebbles, sand, narrow paths, rocks and irregular coastal terrain.
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That mobility does not make VERO universally better. Four legs require more complex mechanical systems, control software and balance management. The foot-mounted nozzle can collide with terrain, and the robot is relatively slow during collection. On a flat warehouse floor or paved construction yard, a wheeled sweeper may be the more practical engineering solution.
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How effective is it?
Initial tests reported by IEEE Spectrum collected just under 90% of cigarette butts across six scenarios. The research paper also describes validation in six outdoor environments.
That figure needs careful interpretation. It is a research result for tested cigarette-butt scenarios—not a guarantee for all litter, every beach or an active construction site. It does not mean VERO cleans an area to human standards in one pass, and it does not establish a commercial operating rate, battery runtime or maintenance schedule.
What can go wrong outdoors?
Small or hidden objects
Cigarette butts may be crushed, dirty, partly hidden or visually similar to stones, twigs and other debris. Detection errors can cause the robot to miss a target or approach an object that should not be collected.
Bright sunlight
During a June 17, 2025 demonstration at Genoa’s Nervi Marina, the RAISE project reported that intense sunlight could interfere with the cameras. Bright beaches, reflective surfaces and rapidly changing shadows are important limitations for outdoor computer vision.
Uneven ground
The nozzle must stay close enough to the surface for effective suction while avoiding impacts. Slopes and loose material also make it harder to place one foot accurately without compromising balance.
Waste handling
Cigarette butts can contain toxic residues. A real public or construction-site deployment would need a sealed collection container, safe emptying procedures, suitable filtration and an appropriate waste-handling process. The published research does not establish a certified commercial system for those requirements.
Limited target range
VERO should not be described as a universal rubbish collector. The verified work focuses primarily on cigarette butts and selective suction of small solid waste. Cans, bottles, food waste, leaves and large packaging would require different tools, such as a gripper or robotic arm.
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What the 2025 demonstration showed
On June 17, 2025, VERO participated in a cigarette-butt cleanup and environmental-awareness event at Nervi Marina in Genoa. The RAISE project described the robot using artificial vision and robotic intelligence to move over uneven terrain and selectively suction cigarette butts.
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The demonstration shows that the project progressed beyond a purely indoor laboratory setup. It does not prove that VERO is commercially deployed, works unattended for long periods, returns to charge automatically or can handle the unpredictable waste stream of a construction project.
Could the same idea be useful in construction?
The foot-tool concept could eventually be adapted for tasks such as localized debris collection, weed treatment, infrastructure inspection or other work where a legged robot must move across difficult ground while operating a tool. These are proposed extensions, not demonstrated VERO products.
For construction companies today, the practical use case is more likely to be specialized research or site trials than routine purchasing. A deployment would need answers about worker safety, exclusion zones, dust and water resistance, battery logistics, object-recognition accuracy, waste containment and whether the robot’s slow collection speed justifies its added mobility.
Can you buy VERO?
No verified consumer purchase page or public retail price exists for VERO. It is an IIT research prototype, not a household robot dog with an app, warranty, charging dock and mass-market support.
People looking for a robot vacuum today should consider conventional wheeled products such as the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, Dreame models or eufy robot vacuums. Those are designed for indoor floors, dust, hair and household debris; they do not reproduce VERO’s ability to walk across uneven outdoor terrain and vacuum litter with a foot.
A general-purpose robot dog is not automatically a VERO either. Buying a quadruped platform does not provide the custom nozzle, detection model, route planning, visual-servoing software or waste-handling system needed for this application.
The practical verdict
VERO is a genuine and inventive robotics project: a quadruped that detects cigarette butts, plans an approach and uses a vacuum-equipped foot while continuing to walk. Its value lies in demonstrating how legged robots can combine mobility and tool use in difficult outdoor environments.
It should not be mistaken for a commercially available robot dog vacuum or a machine that can collect arbitrary construction waste. For now, VERO is best understood as a research platform pointing toward more capable inspection, maintenance and cleanup robots.
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