FCC adds new foreign-made mobile robots to US Covered List

In short: The US Federal Communications Commission has added “foreign-produced advanced robotic devices” to its Covered List, which blocks approval of new foreign-made mobile robots.

What happened

The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, updated its Covered List on July 28. The list is used to stop certain technologies from being approved for sale in the US when the government says they create national security risks.

The FCC said it acted after an interagency group convened by the White House, including national security agencies, determined that foreign-made advanced robots pose a risk. The FCC pointed to past cybersecurity problems found in some robots made by Chinese companies. Cybersecurity issues are weaknesses that can let an outsider access a device or its data (like an unlocked side door).

The ban covers new models of mobile robots made outside the US that can drive or walk around and are controlled on their own or from far away. It includes humanoid robots and four-legged robots, and it can also reach newer robot vacuum cleaners. The definition includes robots with sensors to “see” their surroundings and network connections like Bluetooth, plus software that may run on the robot or in the cloud (remote computers that work like rented online storage and processing).

Why it matters

For shoppers, this could mean fewer choices, especially for lower-cost robots that are often made abroad, and possibly fewer new robot vacuum models. For US labs and startups, some researchers warn it could slow work by cutting off access to affordable robot platforms before similar US or allied-country options are widely available. The FCC says older models already approved can still be sold and used, and it also lists exemptions, such as stationary factory robot arms and devices regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Source: Arstechnica