FCC's foreign robot ban will cover robot vacuums, not just humanoid robots

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TL;DR

The FCC’s latest ban on foreign tech has set its aim at “advanced robotic devices.”

While the announcement specifically mentioned walking robots, the FCC has now clarified that the ban impacts robot vacuums as well.

Current models (despite some clear examples of security risks) won’t be impacted, but future launches may face the ban.

The current administration has a complicated relationship with China, to put it mildly, and when it’s not wreaking havoc on the global economy with tariffs , it’s fixating on the latest Chinese tech it wants to ban . This week, that has extended to banning foreign “advanced robotic devices,” but as it turns out, “advanced” may be a much lower bar than you’d think — so low, even robotic vacuums make the cut.

The FCC announced the ban yesterday, focusing on humanoid and quadruped robots — basically, anything that walks around — as well as power inverters. That would be a big enough deal, but the FCC has now confirmed to The Verge that this ban isn’t exclusive to robots with legs, and would extend down to the smart home appliances we use to keep our floors clean.