The Federal Communications Commission on July 28 released measures barring imports of new Chinese-made humanoid and quadruped robots, along with connected power inverters that link renewable energy sources and batteries to power grids and data center equipment. The FCC said these devices could create supply-chain vulnerabilities that threaten US economic and national security, adding them to its Covered List of technology deemed a security risk. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the move was meant to "secure America's critical supply chains."
Chinese manufacturers currently dominate the humanoid robot market, with six of the top 10 manufacturers by shipment volume based in China, collectively accounting for roughly 87% of all humanoid robots shipped globally. Unitree, one of the largest Chinese humanoid robot makers with just under a fifth of global market share, is expected to be significantly affected; the company had only just launched commercially in Europe on July 22, becoming the first Chinese-made humanoid to reach a major Western market, with a North American push reportedly planned for the following weeks.
The restrictions apply only to robot and inverter models not yet released and took effect upon publication; they do not affect devices already owned by consumers or already-authorized models already for sale. The FCC is expected to grant case-by-case exemptions to non-Chinese suppliers, following the pattern it used for recent bans on foreign-made drones and routers. Several American humanoid robot makers, including 1X, Figure, Agility Robotics, and Apptronik, are approaching volume shipments of competing products.
