Policy tracker

Which robots the FCC Covered List affects

On July 28, 2026 the FCC added "foreign-produced advanced robotic devices" to its Covered List, which means a robot built outside the United States can no longer get the FCC approval a new model needs before it can be sold here. Of the 104 robots Valumech tracks, 80 look exposed as of August 2026 — but only 30 of those are the ones the rule actually bites, because models already on sale keep the approval they already have.

What the rule actually does

Most electronics need an FCC approval — an equipment authorization — before anyone can legally import or sell them in the United States. Putting a category on the Covered List means devices in it can no longer receive that approval. The effect is a gate on the future, not a recall of the present.

Robots that already have approval can still be imported and sold.
Nothing restricts you from using a robot you already bought.
New models from affected makers cannot launch in the US without a Department of War sign-off.
Sales to the federal government are exempt entirely.

The test for “foreign-produced” is borrowed from Buy American rules: a robot counts as domestic only if it is built in the US and more than 65% of its component cost is American, rising to 75% in 2029. That second half is the catch — almost no manufacturer publishes it, which is why US-built robots below are marked as not-automatically-caught rather than cleared.

Where the 104 robots we track land

Status	Models	What it means
Covered — new US sales gated	70	Built abroad, and we have a source for where. New versions need a US Department of War sign-off before they can be sold here.
Likely covered	10	Probably built abroad, but we have not verified the factory — treat this as a flag to check, not a finding.
US-built	15	Built in the United States. Not automatically caught — though a full exemption also needs most of the parts to be American, which makers do not publish.
Rule does not apply	2	The rule covers robots that drive or walk around. These stay put, so it does not apply.
Not enough data	7	Not enough sourced information to place these either way.

The 30 models where a US launch is genuinely in question

These are exposed and have not shipped yet, so they still need a fresh FCC approval — the group the rule actually bites. Each row links to that robot's full record.

Robot	Category	Stage	Built in
Unitree Robotics H2	Humanoid robot	Pre-order	China
Robot Era STAR1	Humanoid robot	Announced	China
NEURA Robotics 4NE-1	Humanoid robot	Pre-order	Germany
LimX Dynamics CL-1	Humanoid robot	Announced	China
PNDbotics Adam	Humanoid robot	Announced	China
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Kaleido	Humanoid robot	Announced	Japan
XPENG IRON	Humanoid robot	Announced	China
DEEP Robotics DR02	Humanoid robot	Announced	China
Sharpa North	Humanoid robot	Announced	China
Pudu Robotics D9	Humanoid robot	Announced	China
Pudu Robotics D5	Robot dog	Announced	China
Zeroth Robotics M1	Humanoid robot	Pre-order	China
Zeroth Robotics W1	Mobile manipulator	Pre-order	China
SwitchBot Onero H1	Home robot	Pre-order	China
LG Electronics CLOiD	Home robot	Announced	South Korea
Unitree Robotics H2 Plus	Humanoid robot	Pre-order	China
Faraday Future FF Futurist	Humanoid robot	Pre-order	China
AgiBot A3	Humanoid robot	Announced	China
AgiBot D2 Max	Robot dog	Announced	China
AgiBot G2 Air	Mobile manipulator	Announced	China
Pudu Robotics D7	Humanoid robot	Announced	China
UBTECH Robotics UWORLD U1	Humanoid robot	Pre-order	China
Xiaomi CyberOne	Humanoid robot	Announced	China (unverified)
DroidUp Moya	Humanoid robot	Announced	China (unverified)
Sanctuary AI Phoenix	Humanoid robot	Announced	Canada (unverified)
Astribot S1	Mobile manipulator	Announced	China (unverified)
Mentee Robotics MenteeBot	Humanoid robot	Announced	Israel (unverified)
Clone Robotics Protoclone	Humanoid robot	Announced	Poland (unverified)
Hexagon AEON	Humanoid robot	Pre-order	Sweden (unverified)
Humanoid HMND 01 Alpha	Humanoid robot	Pre-order	United Kingdom (unverified)

Common questions

Does this mean I cannot buy a Chinese robot in the US?

No. The rule blocks new models from getting FCC approval; it does not touch robots that already have it, and it puts no restriction at all on using a robot you already own. Of the 80 exposed models we track, 49 are already shipping and can keep being sold.

Is the FCC Covered List a ban on Chinese robots?

It is not country-specific. The FCC states that the nationality of the company does not matter — what matters is where the robot is physically built. A Chinese company manufacturing in Ohio passes the test; an American company manufacturing in Vietnam does not.

What counts as an advanced robotic device?

A robot that moves along the ground on its own — the FCC names humanoids, robot dogs and autonomous mobile robots — weighs more than 4.4 lb once you include its charging dock, and has a sensor, a network connection and software that drives it. Robot vacuums fall inside that definition. Fixed factory arms, cars, drones and submarines are excluded.

Can a manufacturer get an exemption?

Yes — a Conditional Approval from the Department of War, which requires disclosing the full supply chain and committing to a time-bound plan to move manufacturing to the United States, with quarterly progress reports. Applications close January 1, 2028.

Does this affect the price of robots?

Not directly, and not yet. The likely effect is on choice rather than sticker price: if a maker cannot get approval for its next model, that model simply does not launch in the US. Watch the 30 exposed models that have not shipped yet — those are the ones where a US launch is genuinely in question.

Sources

FCC Public Notice DA 26-786 — the order itself (WC Docket No. 18-89, ET Docket No. 21-232, EA Docket No. 21-233).
FCC FAQ on the robot and inverter additions — the definitions and the country-neutrality statement.
The live Covered List — including Conditional Approvals as they are granted.