Shark has been refining robot vacuums for years, and the AI Ultra is their attempt to solve the two biggest pain points for pet owners: missed spots and constant emptying. The headline feature is Matrix Clean Navigation, which uses LiDAR to map your home and then systematically cleans in a grid pattern rather than bouncing around randomly. In practice, that means the vacuum actually covers every inch of a room instead of hoping it bumps into the dirt.

The 60-day self-emptying base is the real game-changer for anyone with shedding pets. It holds two months of debris before you need to touch it, and the bagless design means you dump the dustbin directly into the trash. Suction is strong enough to pull embedded pet hair from medium-pile carpets, and the side brush reaches edges where fur tends to collect. The SharkClean app lets you set no-go zones and schedule cleanings, and voice control works with Alexa and Google Assistant.

One honest limitation: the obstacle avoidance isn’t perfect. It handles furniture legs and walls well, but small toys or charging cables can still get tangled. For daily maintenance on hard floors and carpets, this vacuum delivers consistent, hands-off cleaning. It earns its strong ratings by doing the basics reliably.