The Federal Communications Commission announced that it would prohibit the import of new foreign-made “advanced robotic devices,” a category that includes humanoid robots and four-legged quadruped robots, along with foreign-made power inverters used in connected energy systems. The decision follows a review by a White House-convened task force, which concluded that these devices pose supply-chain, cybersecurity, and national security risks.
The action places foreign-produced humanoid and quadruped robots, as well as certain power inverters, on the FCC’s Covered List, a designation that generally blocks equipment from receiving the FCC authorization required to import, market, or sell electronic devices in the United States. The restriction is forward-looking rather than retroactive. It applies only to new device models seeking FCC authorization going forward, and robots or inverters already owned by consumers and businesses are unaffected. Companies can continue selling models that received FCC authorization before the announcement, and the federal government itself is exempt, meaning it may continue purchasing and operating these devices. Companies may also apply for conditional approval of covered devices on a case by case basis.
While the ban applies to foreign-made robots generally, it is widely understood to target China, which dominates global humanoid and quadruped robot production. Industry estimates cited in coverage of the decision put China’s share of the global humanoid robot market at roughly 85 to 87 percent, with six of the top ten manufacturers based in the country. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr framed the action as an effort to protect US supply chains. The agency’s task force pointed to cybersecurity vulnerabilities in networked robots and connected energy equipment, including a cited case in which a security researcher was able to access data from robotic devices made by a Chinese manufacturer.
The FCC’s action is the latest in a series of US measures targeting Chinese technology on national security grounds, following earlier restrictions on Chinese-made drones, telecommunications equipment from firms such as Huawei, and ongoing scrutiny of Chinese open-source AI models. It also follows separate, narrower legislative efforts specific to government use of robotics. The House has passed National Defense Authorization Act language, known as Section 163, that would bar the Pentagon from procuring, leasing, or operating humanoid robots connected to countries designated as foreign adversaries, including China, Russia, and Iran. Earlier this year, Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Chuck Schumer of New York introduced the bipartisan American Security Robotics Act, which would prohibit federal agencies from buying or operating unmanned ground vehicles, including humanoid robots, made by companies linked to foreign adversaries.
The US humanoid robotics sector has been scaling up in anticipation of competing more directly with Chinese manufacturers. Companies including 1X, with its Neo robot, Figure, with its Figure 03 model and Figure 04 in development, Agility Robotics, with Digit v4 and Digit v5 expected in December, and Apptronik, with Apollo, are among those developing humanoid platforms domestically. Reporting on the sector indicates well over 100 US companies are currently working on humanoid robots or related components such as arms and hands.
Because the FCC ban only affects new import authorizations rather than existing sales, its immediate market impact is expected to fall mainly on robot models that Chinese and other foreign manufacturers had planned to launch in the US going forward, rather than products already available.
