The US has expanded its national security restrictions to include foreign-produced humanoid and quadruped robots, preventing new models from obtaining the regulatory approval generally required for import and sale in the country.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has added “advanced robotic devices” – including humanoid and quadruped robots – to its Covered List of communications equipment deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to US national security. The move means new models of foreign-produced robots will generally be unable to obtain the equipment authorisation required for import, marketing and sale in the United States.
The FCC also added foreign-produced connected power inverters, which are widely used in renewable energy systems, battery storage installations and data centres.
According to a statement from the FCC, the decision follows recommendations from a White House-convened national security panel, which concluded that network-connected robots and power inverters manufactured overseas could expose the US to cybersecurity threats and supply chain disruption.
Sensitive data
According to the determination, advanced robotic devices could be exploited to collect sensitive data, enhance foreign intelligence capabilities or even be remotely commandeered. Connected power inverters were also identified as a potential risk because remote connectivity could enable malicious actors to disrupt critical infrastructure, collect data or gain unauthorised access to industrial systems.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the Commission was acting in line with recommendations from US national security agencies to “secure America’s critical supply chains”.
The restrictions apply only to new robot and inverter models seeking FCC authorisation. Existing products already approved for sale in the US, along with equipment already in operation, are unaffected. Manufacturers can also apply for conditional approval if they can demonstrate their products do not present the security risks identified by US authorities.
For the automation industry, the decision highlights how geopolitical tensions are increasingly shaping the deployment of next-generation industrial technologies. As manufacturers invest in AI-powered robots for factory automation, logistics and warehouse operations, cybersecurity, software provenance and supply chain resilience are becoming as important as cost and performance when selecting automation equipment.
Chinese models
While the FCC’s determination applies to all foreign-produced advanced robotic devices, the restrictions are expected to have their greatest impact on Chinese manufacturers, which have established an early lead in commercial humanoid robotics.
The announcement comes just weeks after Chinese robotics company Unitree unveiled the H2 Plus, a next-generation humanoid robot developed with NVIDIA. The nearly six-foot-tall system combines Unitree’s H2 humanoid platform with NVIDIA’s Isaac GR00T development platform and Jetson Thor onboard AI computer, providing researchers with an open hardware and software platform for developing humanoid applications.
Designed for industrial and research environments, the H2 Plus features 75 degrees of freedom across its body and dexterous five-fingered hands, onboard stereo and wrist-mounted cameras, and AI computing performance exceeding 2,000 FP4 teraflops. The robot is capable of lifting payloads of up to 15kg and is expected to become available later this year.
“Humanoid robots will bring physical AI to the world’s largest industries, opening a multitrillion-dollar economic opportunity,” said NVIDIA founder and Chief Executive Jensen Huang when the platform was announced.
