AIBRIEF
The rule takes effect immediately for unapproved products, bundling humanoids and quadrupeds with the power inverters that connect solar arrays, batteries, and data centers to the US grid — and opening a forward look at what comes next.
The FCC on Tuesday approved a new import ban covering connected robotic devices, including humanoids and quadrupeds, and grid-tie power inverters — and immediately set the stage for what could come next. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the agency intends to stay active in protecting key supply chains, and made clear the agency's connected-device definition already covers drones, autonomous vehicles, and industrial sensors as the next candidates for the list.
This is a developing update. For the full context on the FCC's Covered List expansion and its rationale, see our same-day coverage of the robot and inverter import ban.
The rule took effect immediately and applies to products not yet authorized for US sale, the agency said.
The FCC's FAQ and fact sheet define "advanced robotic devices" as machines that move, sense their surroundings, and connect to networks. The rule bundles robots with inverters because both are network-reachable hardware now embedded in the AI data-center buildout, AP and NBC News report.
The order does not name a country, but the affected supply chain is overwhelmingly Chinese. Sungrow and Huawei lead the global inverter market; Unitree is a major humanoid-robot maker, per the Guardian. Unitree has been placed on a Pentagon list of alleged Chinese military-linked firms. It also has a public partnership with Nvidia to use Blackwell chips in robots. These are public facts, not misconduct findings.