FCC Robot Ban Strands U.S. Startups Without a Supply Chain
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- The FCC added "advanced robotic devices" to its Covered List, banning new foreign-made humanoids, quadrupeds, robot vacuums, and lawn mowers from the U.S. market, with a 65% domestic-components threshold rising to 75% in 2029.
- Omdia research found that nearly 90% of all humanoids sold globally in 2025 were Chinese, with U.S. labs and startups widely using Unitree robots for experimentation.
- The FCC cited security vulnerabilities in Unitree robots and a DJI robot vacuum glitch that let one user access 7,000 other robots, as Apple assembles about 80% of iPhones in China and supplies many components from there.
- Founders Anto Patrex of CosmicBrain AI and Elizabeth Williams of Gemma told Rest of World they had been prototyping in China because U.S. manufacturing "would have been impossible," with some Silicon Valley employees reportedly carrying robot parts from China in suitcases.
- Persona AI's Michael Perry said the government is "only providing the stick," arguing it should pair the ban with incentives to grow domestic supply chains, while Agility Robotics backed the rule as vital for national and economic security.
- China's Ministry of Commerce criticized the U.S. for "overstretching the national security concept," and Beijing retaliated in August with trade restrictions on American entities and tighter drone export controls.
- Brookings' Kyle Chan warned the ban is too broad and "can really hold back U.S. robotics innovation," favoring gradual tariffs instead, while Nori Robotics' Antonio Li said it will force researchers to "buy U.S. instead."
Why it matters: The FCC is mandating a 65% domestic-components threshold that no American supply chain currently supports, putting startups racing to commercialize humanoids and consumer robots in a no-win position: comply or exit the U.S. market. Founders say the policy protects the wrong incumbents—established players like Agility Robotics can absorb the costs, while capital-starved startups cannot. The next 18 months will determine whether onshoring accelerates or whether American robotics cedes its software edge to Chinese hardware.
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