US Government Bans Roombas: What It Means
▼ Summary
– The FCC’s ban on “advanced robotic devices” is far broader than humanoid robots, covering any new software-controlled ground robot over 4.4 pounds with environmental sensing and wireless connectivity, including robot vacuums, lawnmowers, and delivery robots.
– The ban targets all foreign-made robots regardless of security practices, as most are manufactured outside the U.S., even by American companies like iRobot.
– To obtain a waiver, U.S. companies must source 65% of components domestically, while foreign firms must commit to U.S. manufacturing.
– The government is not banning existing robots or exempting robots like self-driving cars, surgical robots, or industrial arms.
– Critics argue the ban focuses on manufacturing origin rather than security, as the FCC does not require companies to answer security questions for waivers.
When the Trump administration announced a ban on “advanced robotic devices” entering the United States, headlines zeroed in on humanoid machines. But spying doesn’t require legs, and neither does the FCC’s sweeping robot ban , which will also ensnare robot vacuum cleaners, according to Katie Gorscak, the FCC’s media relations director, who confirmed the details to The Verge.
Your current Roomba is safe, and companies can continue importing and selling already approved models. However, the government argues that future foreign robots pose a national security risk, and even robovac makers are now being pushed to commit to US manufacturing.
The ban explicitly targets “humanoid robots” and “quadrupeds,” but its scope is far wider. It applies to nearly any new software-controlled robot that moves over ground, weighs more than 4.4 pounds (including its dock), can perceive its environment, and has wireless connectivity. By this definition, the FCC is effectively banning future robot lawnmowers, sidewalk delivery robots, and the bots that shuffle packages around Amazon warehouses.
The government’s National Security Determination, which justifies the ban, explicitly references my reporting on the alarmingly poor security that allowed one individual to access 7,000 DJI robovacs worldwide. Yet, like the earlier consumer router ban, the FCC isn’t singling out companies with lax security. It’s targeting virtually every robovac company , because almost all of them manufacture outside the US.
Even before the US-based maker of the Roomba went bankrupt, its robots were built by a Chinese company. Apple, Google, and most other gadget brands face the same reality: these products are not produced domestically. “There are very few non-Chinese brands these days and their share is so small that it’s difficult to track,” says IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani.
Even Matic, our top-rated robovac that is assembled in California, may need a waiver for new models. Co-founder and CEO Mehul Nariyawala tells The Verge the company doesn’t yet source 65 percent of components from the United States. That means even US companies must swear their robots are made in the US to qualify for a government waiver. Foreign companies, meanwhile, will need to pledge investments in US manufacturing , or risk deception, like the DJI front company I previously exposed.
If the Trump administration and FCC Chair Brendan Carr were genuinely focused on protecting Americans from the troubling security practices of smart home companies, I might argue that cleaning robots should not be exempted. They can spy as effectively as a humanoid. The DJI Romo robovac was a chilling example, allowing someone on the other side of the planet to map out my colleague Thomas Ricker’s home. Worse still, read about the robot lawnmower that ran me over to understand the stakes.
But here’s the catch: the government isn’t asking these companies any security questions to grant a waiver. Not one. The FCC only wants to know where robots are designed, made, assembled, tested, and influenced , and demands a specific commitment to start manufacturing them in the US. Even then, the FCC appears to favor US companies without requiring new security or manufacturing commitments, as it did when it quickly let Netgear off the hook , even though Netgear’s routers were among those targeted in the Volt Typhoon incident that helped justify the router ban. Four unnamed sources told Reuters that “the FCC is expected to exempt many non-Chinese suppliers from the restrictions.”
The government isn’t banning every type of foreign-made robot without a waiver. Exceptions already exist for self-driving cars and trains, unmanned aircraft and underwater vehicles, surgical robots, wheelchairs, and fixed robot arms for industrial and medical use. But for most other robots, the future in the United States is now uncertain.
It’s worth repeating: the FCC is not coming for your existing robots, just as it didn’t target your existing routers or drones. But if these gadgets truly pose a national security risk, it seems odd to do nothing about the ones we’ve already bought.
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy contributed reporting.
(Source: The Verge)
