The US Federal Communications Commission has widened its security restrictions to encompass advanced foreign-produced robots, signaling a significant shift in device approval policies amid ongoing concerns over technology supply chains and security risks.
The Federal Communications Commission has widened its national security screen over connected devices, moving from routers and drones to a class that includes foreign-produced advanced robots. The latest update to the agency’s Covered List, adopted in July 2026, bars new approvals for overseas-made robotic devices that it says pose unacceptable risks to US security and the safety of US persons. Existing products already authorised remain on sale, and current owners are not being forced to give up the machines they already have.
The decision is part of a broader campaign by the FCC to tighten control over the device authorisation process. In May 2025, the agency moved to prevent Chinese government-linked and other untrustworthy entities from influencing the testing and certification system used for wireless equipment in the United States. In April 2026, it proposed restricting recognition of testing labs and certification bodies in foreign countries that lack reciprocity agreements with the US. The same year, it added foreign-produced consumer-grade routers to the Covered List, saying they posed unacceptable national security risks.
The robotics move has drawn attention because of how widely it may reach. Reporting in The Verge indicated that the rule is not limited to humanoids or industrial systems, but can extend to robotic vacuum cleaners, lawnmowers, delivery machines and some warehouse robots. The practical effect is to block future foreign models from the US market unless manufacturers can secure conditional approval. That leaves the rule focused on new imports and authorisations rather than on existing household devices.
Supporters of stricter controls argue that the risks are not theoretical. Earlier reporting by The Verge described a vulnerability in DJI’s Romo robotic vacuums that could expose room maps, location data and, in some cases, camera access and remote control for thousands of devices. FCC documents also show the agency has recently taken similar steps against foreign-produced unmanned aircraft systems and certain communications and video surveillance equipment, citing technical, economic and national security concerns. In that context, the robot vacuum decision fits a wider effort to keep sensitive device supply chains and certification channels under tighter US oversight.
Critics, however, say the policy draws a blunt line between foreign and domestic production without proving that one location is inherently safer than another. Security, they argue, depends on encryption, software support, data handling, auditing and patching, not just where a machine is assembled. They also warn that restrictions of this kind tend to raise prices, narrow choice and delay innovation, while shifting more power to domestic manufacturers that can navigate the approval process. The result may be a more protected industry, but not necessarily a more secure one.
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