J.O.O.N.A.S. clears ground and launches collected material to Capsule Catchers. The catcher still needs an outgoing route that delivers material to a station or a functioning processing line. Cleaning activity alone does not confirm a sale.
The current documented behavior differs from launch-week advice. In 1.0.4, the developer removed dock trips and said J.O.O.N.A.S. keeps cleaning with no players nearby. In 1.0.5, capsule delivery changed from one nearest catcher to the emptiest catcher in the nearest group. S03S04
What the catcher-group rule means
Patch 1.0.5 describes a group as catchers within 100 metres of each other. J.O.O.N.A.S. aims for the emptiest catcher in the nearest group. When every catcher in that group is over 80% full, delivery goes to the next group. S04
Those numbers describe routing and occupancy. They do not establish a maximum launch range, a guaranteed robot-per-catcher ratio, or a promise that every catcher in your base will receive equally.
If several robots are feeding one part of the base, inspect the catcher group that receives their capsules and its outgoing belts. A full group can send later deliveries elsewhere; adding another catcher is useful only when the receiving and outgoing routes can work.
Prepare a simple first route
- Place a Capsule Catcher where you can connect it to your delivery system.
- Connect its output directly to the station intake for the first test.
- Deploy J.O.O.N.A.S. near work that remains to be cleaned.
- Observe cleaning, a capsule launch, catcher reception and onward transport.
- Inspect the sale at the station. If you later add processing, test that stage separately.
The delivery guide reports $20,000 for J.O.O.N.A.S. and $1,500 for a Capsule Catcher: $21,500 before belts or other infrastructure. Treat those as sourced budget references and check your menus before buying. S07
If J.O.O.N.A.S. stops, find the stopped stage
| What you observe | What to inspect |
|---|---|
| No cleaning activity | Robot information, remaining dirty ground, access around buildings and installed version |
| Full robot bin, no useful delivery | Available catchers, their occupancy and their outgoing routes |
| Capsules land but do not leave | Catcher output connection and belt direction |
| Delivery shifts to another factory | Nearest catcher group and whether every catcher in it is above 80% |
| Distant hex stays at 99.9% | 1.0.5's completion fix; inspect current local progress if it persists |
| Robot works but sale does not register | Follow the material from the catcher to the station intake |
The 1.0.4 patch says the robot skips ground it cannot reach around buildings. A visibly dusty spot therefore deserves a local inspection before you add more robots. S03
Mk I and Mk II are a separate question
Robot Vacuums collect around a dock. Guides report 19 hexes for Mk I and 37 for Mk II. Fresh ground in that area and the dock output matter when their supply stops. S07
The official “keeps cleaning even when no players are nearby” statement names J.O.O.N.A.S. It should not be presented as a documented Mk I/Mk II guarantee.
A player discussion displayed as 4 November asks why Mk II units appear to move only after the player returns to their station. Its eight replies include another Mk II stopping report and a report that Mk I continued working during distant exploration. These accounts do not state installed versions, and we have not reproduced either result. S14
If that is your symptom, record the exact robot model and build. Compare its local activity and dock output before and after a trip away; do not infer production from a stationary map marker alone. This comparison is a diagnostic test, not proof of a rendering fault or a permanent fix.
Source references
Checked 5 November 2026. Source types describe the evidence; they do not imply gameplay testing by this site.
- S03 · OfficialPatch 1.0.4 — 25 October 2026 ↗
- S04 · OfficialPatch 1.0.5 — 28 October 2026 ↗
- S07 · Reported guideGAMES.GG — Auto-Sell Dust ↗
- S14 · Player reportMk II robots at a distant station ↗