US bans new foreign-made humanoid robots, robot dogs, inverters

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (the US telecom regulator) announced the ban on Tuesday, citing an “unacceptable” threat to national security. The rule covers new humanoid robots, robot dogs, and power inverters made overseas, and largely affects imports from China, which currently has the vast majority of the global market share in these categories.

The FCC said devices made overseas could be remotely controlled or used for surveillance by foreign governments, or otherwise used in cyberattacks. Exceptions would be granted if the government finds that a specific device does not pose a risk to U.S. national security. Existing devices already installed in U.S. homes and businesses are unaffected by the ban, the FCC said.

Humanoid robots — the class of robots that move similarly to humans — are still far from mainstream and remain in early development. There were around 15,000 humanoid robots shipped worldwide in 2025, with each of China’s two largest robot makers accounting for the majority of those shipments. Power inverters, by contrast, are far more commonly used in U.S. households, connecting solar and other renewable energy systems to the wider power grid.

The move extends a series of U.S. actions against Chinese-made technology in recent years, including the ban that forced TikTok into the hands of U.S. investors, restrictions on a broad swath of foreign-made consumer routers, and bans on Chinese surveillance equipment makers Hikvision and Dahua, which have been linked to human rights abuses. The U.S. government has long accused China of hacking into U.S. businesses to steal data and preparing future cyberattacks for its own military gains, including an anticipated invasion of Taiwan. Washington has also warned that Chinese ownership alone could let Beijing force a company to spy on Americans or tamper with their products remotely — though the U.S. government holds similar legal powers of its own.

Beijing rebuffed the ban. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, quoted by the Associated Press, said China would use “all measures necessary” to protect its businesses. The dispute comes ahead of a planned state visit in which Chinese president Xi Jinping is expected to meet President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., in September.

Why it matters

The ban shows Washington extending its national-security playbook from software and surveillance gear to physical robotics and grid-connected hardware, a category where Chinese manufacturers currently lead on volume — raising the bar other governments may set for vetting foreign-made robotics and clean-energy hardware.