Use furniture risers.

Yes. That’s the simplest fix for a robot vacuum that keeps wedging itself under a low sofa. Those little plastic or metal blocks lift the sofa legs just enough to give your robot clearance to pass through—or more importantly, to escape.

Most robot vacuums need about 3.5 to 4 inches of clearance to navigate underneath. If your sofa sits lower than that, the robot drives in, hits its head, spins, and either gets stuck or triggers an error. Furniture risers add an inch or two, which is usually all you need. They’re cheap ($10–$20 for a set), they don’t damage the legs, and they work on most sofas, couches, and even beds.

If you don’t want to raise the sofa (aesthetic reasons, or it’s too heavy), you can use a magnetic boundary strip or a physical barrier like a piece of baseboard trim placed under the front edge. But risers are the no-fuss solution.

Your robot will stop sending you “I’m trapped” notifications within an hour.