WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission has added foreign-produced “mobile communicating robots” weighing more than 2 kilograms — humanoids, quadrupeds and other autonomous mobile systems — to its Covered List, along with power inverters. The effect is a ban on new imports of those devices into the United States on national-security grounds.
What the rule actually says
- Applies to robots over 2 kg with communications capability above 200 kbps
- Drones, vehicles and medical devices are excluded
- Devices already in the country and federal government purchases are exempt
- Conditional approvals can be sought through the Department of War or DHS; applications are due by January 1, 2028
Country-neutral on paper, not in practice
The rule doesn’t name a country. Everyone understands it is aimed at China’s Unitree, whose quadrupeds and humanoids are widely used in US universities and research labs. But because the language is country-neutral, it also sweeps in allied manufacturers — IEEE Spectrum and The Robot Report both flag Switzerland’s ANYbotics, whose inspection quadrupeds are used by US industrial customers, as collateral damage.
Industry reaction has split predictably: US humanoid startups see a protected home market; researchers see the cheapest capable research platforms disappearing from their catalogs.
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