Ban on New Foreign Robots Targets Robotic Vacuums

Last week, the Trump administration unveiled updated bans that target imports of new Chinese robots and power inverters. The goal of this ban is to protect the U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) buildout from national ​security threats and reshore key industries slated for explosive growth, Reuters reported.

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) ban on foreign-produced advanced robotic devices and power inverters, includes more than mobile robots, such as humanoids and quadrupeds. PC Mag also reported the ban includes robot vacuums and robot lawn mowers. The FCC defines advanced robotic devices as a “mechanical mobile device, including autonomous mobile robots, humanoid robots, and quadrupeds, that:

• Is capable of locomotion, obstacle avoidance, navigation, or movement on the ground.
• Operates at a distance from a human operator or supervisor based on commands or in response to sensor data or any combination thereof.
• The combined weight of the device and, if applicable, ground station or docking station is over 4.4 pounds.
• Contains a component falling within each of the below [features]:
  • A sensor capable of perceiving its environment.
  • A component that is capable of providing network connectivity (wired or wireless, including Bluetooth/WiFi, cellular, or satellite) with connection speeds of at least 200 kilobits per second in either direction.
  • Software running either locally or remotely, including firmware and AI or machine-learning model weights, that controls the robot’s autonomous navigation or movement perception, data collection, or remote command-and-control.”

The FCC only explicitly excludes drones, connected vehicles, unmanned underwater craft, along with robot arms and assistive devices from the ban.

However, the ban does not affect any previously purchased devices or existing products that have already received FCC equipment authorization for sale in the U.S. PC Mag reported a separate FCC order also indicates that any existing robot vacuums already authorized “may continue to receive software and firmware updates that mitigate harm to US consumers at least until Jan. 1, 2029.” 

Still, the ban threatens to block any new Chinese robot vacuums from reaching the U.S. Through the FCC, a company can apply to receive an exemption from the ban. But it’ll be up to the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security to sign off on the exemption, and it’s unclear whether the Trump administration is willing to do so. The White House has enforced similar bans on foreign-made drones and Wi-Fi routers, and so far, no exemption has been granted to a major Chinese vendor.