FCC bans foreign-made robots, including Roombas

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently imposed a ban on new foreign-made robotic devices, drawn so broadly as to even include robot vacuums.

It's an especially devastating blow, since one of the most prominent robot vacuum manufacturers has already been the victim of overzealous regulators.

"Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include two new categories of devices," the agency announced last week, including "'advanced robotic devices' (defined as mobile robots, such as humanoids and quadrupeds)."

The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 directed the FCC to "publish and maintain a list" of "communications equipment or services from a company that poses a national security risk to U.S. communications networks."

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