FCC Adds Foreign-Made Humanoid Robots to US National Security Restricted List

The robot was already in the warehouse, moving pallets, managing shelves, doing the work. Under the new rules, one just like it — built overseas and not yet approved — might never get the chance to enter the American market at all.

That is the practical effect of a decision by the Federal Communications Commission, which has added foreign-made advanced robotic devices, including humanoid robots, to its so-called Covered List. The list is the FCC’s tool for flagging technology products it considers too risky for US national security. Once a product category lands on it, new device models cannot receive equipment authorisation — the regulatory green light needed to sell and operate communications-capable devices in the United States.

The move has drawn attention from across the robotics industry. Agility Robotics, the Oregon-based company behind the Digit humanoid robot, posted a public reaction to the FCC’s decision, framing it as an early intervention — a way of stopping larger security problems from taking root before they become deeply embedded in critical infrastructure.

What the FCC’s Covered List Actually Does

The Covered List is not a ban on everything foreign-made. That distinction matters. Robots that have already passed through the FCC’s equipment authorisation process can still be imported, marketed, sold, and used in the United States. The restriction bites on new models — ones that haven’t yet received approval and now cannot get it if they come from a foreign-produced supply chain the FCC considers a risk.

Think of it less as a wall and more as a gate that’s been closed to new arrivals, while those already inside are allowed to stay.

The FCC has form here. In 2022, it restricted authorisations for equipment from five Chinese firms: Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Hytera, and Dahua. Then, in March 2026, the regulator moved to block approval of all new foreign-made consumer router models after a White House-led interagency review found supply-chain and cybersecurity risks. The robotics decision follows that same trajectory — a steady tightening of the rules around foreign-linked hardware.

Why Robots, and Why Now?

Advanced robots are no longer just factory floor equipment. They carry sensors, cameras, wireless communications modules, and increasingly sophisticated onboard computing. A humanoid robot operating in a hospital, a data centre, or a government building is, in effect, a mobile data-collection platform. That is what makes the FCC’s jurisdiction relevant. These aren’t toasters. They’re networked devices.

The concern, as regulators frame it, is about supply chains and the data those supply chains can access. If a robot’s core hardware or software originates with a foreign manufacturer that could be compelled by its home government to share data or introduce vulnerabilities, the security implications go well beyond the device itself.

Critics of similar FCC actions have argued the rules can be drawn too broadly. After earlier restrictions on routers and communications equipment, some industry voices warned of certification delays, market uncertainty, and knock-on effects for supply chains that aren’t straightforwardly “foreign” or “domestic” — they’re tangled, global, and often interdependent.

The Industry Reaction

Brendan Carr, the FCC Chairman, has been the driving force behind the agency’s tougher stance on foreign technology. He has consistently argued that the US cannot afford to wait until a security breach occurs before acting on hardware risks.

The robotics industry’s response is likely to be mixed. Domestic manufacturers such as Agility Robotics, Boston Dynamics, and Figure AI could find themselves with a clearer competitive advantage if foreign rivals are locked out of the authorisation process for new models. But companies that rely on globally distributed supply chains — sourcing components from Asia while assembling or programming in the US — may find the line between “foreign-made” and “domestically produced” harder to draw than the regulation implies.

So far, the FCC has not published a verified count of how many robot models or manufacturers are directly affected by the new decision.

A Pattern Taking Shape

This isn’t happening in isolation. The 2026 push on foreign-made technology spans routers, advanced chips, and now humanoid robots. The thread connecting them is the same: the FCC and the broader US national security apparatus are treating hardware supply chains as a front line, not an afterthought.

Whether that approach produces the intended security outcomes — or simply reshuffles which foreign components end up inside American-approved devices — is unclear.

What This Means for Kent Residents

The FCC’s decision is a US federal action and carries no direct regulatory weight in the UK. But for Kent businesses involved in robotics, advanced electronics, or transatlantic technology trade, there are indirect implications worth watching. Any firm exporting robotic components or finished devices to US customers, or partnering with American distributors, may face new compliance questions as the FCC’s Covered List expands. More broadly, as similar supply-chain security debates gather pace in Westminster and Brussels, the logic driving Washington’s decisions today has a habit of arriving on this side of the Atlantic before long.