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US Bans Chinese-Made Humanoid Robots Over Security Risks
The FCC banned imports of Chinese humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks. China pushed back, calling the move protectionism.
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The United States banned imports of humanoid robots and power inverters from China and other countries, the Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday, citing risks to national security and the safety of Americans. The move adds both technologies to the FCC's Covered List under the 2020 Secure Networks Act.
The ban covers humanoid robots, including four-legged and bipedal models, as well as power inverters that convert direct current from solar panels and batteries into alternating current for the U.S. power grid. The FCC said the designations followed a National Security Determination from a group of government agencies convened by President Donald Trump.
"The networked capabilities of advanced robotic systems create extensive vulnerabilities and vectors for attacks that can manipulate the data and physical operation of the advanced robotic system," the group said in its determination. "Advanced robotic devices collect data that could be leveraged by malign actors to surveil Americans, enhance the capabilities of foreign intelligence services, or to remotely commandeer the robots."
The inverter ban addresses similar concerns. The FCC said increasingly networked inverters pose cybersecurity risks, including the possibility they could be switched off or used to harvest data, as well as "facilitating remote access and surveillance by foreign government actors." Any threat to electricity supply constituted a threat to the economy and national security, the agency added.