FCC Bans Chinese-Made Humanoid Robots, Citing National Security

On July 28-29, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission announced it had added foreign-produced humanoid robotic devices and certain power inverters to its “covered list,” effectively banning their import into the United States. The FCC stated these products pose an “unacceptable risk” to U.S. national security or to the safety of U.S. persons. The agency defined “advanced robotic devices” to include humanoid robots and animal-like quadruped robots. The action was reported as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to restrict Chinese technology from the U.S. market, occurring amid an ongoing competition between the U.S. and China for leadership in robotics and artificial intelligence. Multiple outlets, including The Hill, BBC News and The Guardian, confirmed the FCC action and its stated national-security rationale, though specific enforcement mechanisms and the full scope of affected products were not detailed in available reporting. Separately, CBS News reported that three major U.S. airlines have quietly updated their policies to ban humanoid and animal-like robots from flights, though it did not specify which airlines or provide a direct link between this policy change and the FCC’s import ban. It remains unresolved whether the airline policy changes are connected to the FCC ruling or represent an independent development, as reporting did not establish a direct causal relationship between the two. The precise list of banned devices, implementation timeline, and enforcement details of the FCC’s covered-list addition were not fully specified across the available reports. It is also unclear how many companies or products will be affected, or whether affected manufacturers plan to contest the designation.