FCC bans foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters over security fears

The Federal Communications Commission added foreign-produced humanoid robots and connected power inverters to its Covered List on July 28, widening a China-focused security clampdown into the hardware behind embodied AI. The agency defined “advanced robotic devices” as mobile robots, including humanoids and quadrupeds, and said the list covers equipment and services that pose “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons.”

The update followed determinations by executive branch agencies and a White House committee that the devices threaten national security. Reuters said the move was meant to protect the U.S. AI buildout, a sign that Washington now sees robots and power electronics as strategic infrastructure rather than niche consumer products.

Placing the devices on the Covered List gives the FCC a built-in enforcement tool, because covered equipment and services are treated as too risky for the U.S. market. The practical impact falls first on new foreign-made devices, including imports from China, and on companies trying to sell humanoid, quadruped and autonomous mobile robot systems to U.S. buyers.

Chinese robotics makers were among the names most exposed, with Shanghai-based AgiBot and Unitree identified in coverage as potentially affected. The move extends the tech fight beyond chips and telecom gear into the machines that move through factories, warehouses and public spaces, where foreign supply chains have become a national-security concern.