The Federal Communications Commission announced a ban on Tuesday covering new imports of Chinese-made humanoid and quadruped robots, along with connected power inverters, citing national security and cybersecurity risks. The move directly targets a market China currently dominates: an estimated 85% global share in humanoid robots.
The FCC added the devices to its Covered List, which bars new models from receiving the equipment authorization required for import, marketing, or sale of wireless devices in the US — the same regulatory mechanism previously used to shut Huawei out of American telecom networks and ground DJI’s drone business, according to Tech Times’ reporting. Two independently confirmed vulnerabilities in current Unitree robots — a still-unpatched backdoor and a wormable Bluetooth exploit capable of spreading between nearby units without any user action — are cited as concrete evidence behind the decision.
What the ban does and doesn’t do
This is a forward-looking gate, not a recall. Robots and inverters already authorized and in the field can keep operating and being sold; only new models seeking fresh FCC authorization are blocked. The federal government itself is carved out entirely and can continue buying and using Chinese-made units. Manufacturers can still seek conditional approval through the Department of War or Department of Homeland Security, leaving a path back into the market for companies that can address the security concerns directly.
The trade-off analysts are flagging
Of roughly 15,000 humanoid robots shipped globally in 2025, Chinese firms Unitree and AGIBOT each shipped more than 5,000 — meaning the ban protects a nascent US robotics industry from price competition in its home market, but is unlikely to meaningfully slow China’s own development given the size of its domestic manufacturing base and its access to other export markets. The measure also arrives at a diplomatically sensitive moment, just weeks ahead of a planned September visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to meet with President Trump, and Beijing has already publicly characterized the action as protectionism.
What to watch next
- Whether any Chinese manufacturer successfully obtains conditional approval to keep selling new models in the US.
- Whether the power-inverter restriction creates supply disruptions for US renewable energy or data center projects that currently rely on Chinese-made components.
- How the ban factors into the broader US-China trade relationship ahead of the September Trump-Xi meeting.
Related reading
- China Just Started Making Its Own Chipmaking Machines — And ASML Stock Fell 8% on the News
- Kimi K3 Fallout: White House Accuses Moonshot AI of Evading Chip Export Controls
Sources
- FCC Bans Chinese Humanoid Robots and Power Inverters Linked to Confirmed Backdoors — Tech Times
- US bans foreign-made humanoid robots, targeting China over national security — ABC News
- United States Bans Chinese Humanoid & Quadruped Robots, Citing National Security — Forbes
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