Humanoids aren’t the only bots getting screwed by a recent Trump administration crackdown. As noted by The Verge, robot vacuums are also subject to new FCC rules barring the import of future Chinese robots over spying concerns. Notably, the ban covers any robot that’s controlled by software, weighs over 4.4 pounds, and uses computer vision to see its environment. As you may have gathered from that broad scope, the ban actually encompasses lots of other gadgets outside of just humanoid robots, including future robotic lawnmowers and sidewalk robots that deliver food, for example. Even American companies like Matic could be affected. © Wes Davis / Gizmodo If you, like myself, already own a robot vacuum from a Chinese company like iRobot, Roborock, Dreame, or Ecovacs, fear not; this ban affects future products, not existing ones that are already in your home. That being said, it could royally suck for consumers in the U.S. who have benefitted from cost-effective but functional robots manufactured in China, which describes just about every single robot vacuum that’s currently available in the U.S. today.
As the Verge’s Sean Hollister notes, the ban is ham-fistedly broad, as well. Instead of targeting companies with poor security practices that could jeopardize U.S. consumers, it takes a no-holds-barred approach, targeting any company that manufactures less than 65% in the U.S. That means even U.S. robot vacuum companies like Matic, which is based in Mountain View, California, could be affected by the new rules.
