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Following the Trump administration’s move last week to block the sale of advanced industrial robots from all countries outside of the United States, experts are mixed on the outcome, but ultimately supportive of what this could mean from a supply standpoint.
The Federal Communications Commission on July 28 updated its covered list to include imports of mobile robots, such as humanoids and quadrupeds, as well as connected power inverters, citing national security risks.
Products meeting those definitions can no longer receive FCC equipment authorization and cannot be imported, marketed or sold in the U.S., making them essentially banned. Affected companies can apply for a conditional approval.
The sweeping action, which immediately took effect, came amid growing concern over China’s ability to surveil customers and obtain sensitive data around the world from devices assembled in the country. However, it also looks to address another issue entirely — the U.S. falling behind globally in terms of robot production and deployment.
