New York (USA) 

The US administration on July 28, 2026, announced restrictions on new foreign-made humanoid robot imports, citing potential national security risks associated with advanced robotic systems. The move covers humanoid and four-legged robots, many of which are manufactured by Chinese companies competing in the global artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics market.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has added advanced robotic devices and power inverters to its Covered List, a register of products considered potential risks to US national security. The restrictions apply only to new foreign-made products and do not impact models previously authorised for import. The FCC has raised concerns that foreign-made robots could potentially be misused for surveillance, remote control or intelligence activities, while imported power inverters used in critical infrastructure such as data centres and renewable energy systems could create cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

Rueben Scriven, Senior Research Manager, Interact Analysis, said the ban applies to all foreign-made humanoid robots, but its impact is expected to be more significant for Chinese manufacturers as China remains the leading non-US producer of humanoid robots. “This ban applies to ALL foreign-made humanoid robots, but given that China is the main non-US manufacturer of humanoids, it is potentially of most relevance to Chinese manufacturers,” Scriven said.

He added that the immediate impact is likely to remain limited as most Chinese humanoid robot companies have not yet entered the US market. According to Scriven, many industry players had already anticipated geopolitical challenges surrounding AI-enabled physical robots and have focused their overseas expansion efforts primarily on the Asia-Pacific region.

“In the short term, the impact even on Chinese companies is likely to be limited, as most Chinese humanoid robot companies have not yet entered the US market. Given the AI and physical data competition behind humanoid robots, many industry players have already anticipated such risks for robots intended for real-world deployment, and their near-term overseas expansion efforts are focused more on the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.

Scriven noted that while the restrictions could reduce competition from Chinese manufacturers, they may also create challenges for US companies that depend on overseas production networks. “While the ban reduces direct competition from Chinese manufacturers, it may also hinder US manufacturers seeking to produce robots in China or other countries. Should the ban persist over the long term, it would demand that US domestic humanoid robot makers rapidly cut costs and scale up production; otherwise, it could slow the commercialisation of humanoid robots,” he said.

He further highlighted that limiting access to lower-cost Chinese robots could affect market adoption in the US. “This announcement is more likely to inhibit the US humanoid robotics industry, as the presence of low-cost Chinese humanoid robots has been helping educate the US market through promotional and entertainment use cases — an effect this policy risks undermining,” Scriven added.

The restrictions come amid increasing technology competition between the US and China, with robotics, AI and advanced manufacturing emerging as strategic areas of focus for both nations.