The US is banning the sale of robots made outside the country. That includes all the cool ones we've covered out of China, which can dance, provide companionship to seniors, fight fires, and carry loads over rocky terrain.
That's from a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) press release, which notes that such "foreign-made products, regardless of the nationality of origin, pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons."
The move covers humanoid robots as well as quadrupeds. Unitree, a brand based in China, makes several models in both categories. This housekeeping robot from Korean tech giant LG likely won't be available in the US either.
The announcement describes how these robots have networked capabilities which can "create extensive vulnerabilities and vectors for attacks that can manipulate the data and physical operation of the advanced robotic system."
That's not all. Foreign-made inverters – which you'd use for backup power in case of an outage – that you can control via Wi-Fi, cellular service, or Bluetooth, are also banned. The thinking there is that these products' remote connectivity systems could allow them to be exploited, turned off, facilitate surveillance, or be used to collect and beam data back to foreign government actors.
The federal agency added that products already sold won't be affected; the Department of War and Department of Homeland Security will be allowed to purchase products in these categories that are necessary for their operations.
And with that, the FCC has expanded the list of things you can't buy in the US owing to potential threats to national security. That already includes Huawei phones and wearables, Hikvision security cameras, DJI drones, and routers from a range of popular manufacturers.
For what it's worth, companies with a presence in the country can apply for approval to continue selling their devices in the US. It remains to be seen how friendly a policy that is: Huawei and ZTE both saw sales bans back in 2022, and still aren't available stateside.
If you're still keen on a humanoid in the US, you aren't entirely out of luck. There are a bunch of domestic companies developing robots for industrial and home use with products nearing availability, including 1X and Figure.
