Guide

The FCC's robot rule, explained for people who buy robots

By The RobotDoorstep team · Sources checked Oct 29, 2026

The rule stops new foreign-produced robots from getting FCC approval. It does not pull robots off shelves or out of homes. Any model the FCC authorized before the rule can still be imported, sold and used. A new model built abroad needs a Conditional Approval from the Department of War (DoW) before it can be authorized.

That's the whole thing in two sentences. The rest of this page is the detail, quoted from the FCC.

What did the FCC actually do on July 28, 2026?

The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau added a new entry to the Covered List in Public Notice DA 26-786, released July 28, 2026:

"Foreign-produced advanced robotic devices, except advanced robotic devices which have been granted a Conditional Approval by DoW."

The FCC didn't decide this on its own. An Executive Branch interagency body sent the FCC a National Security Determination on July 27, 2026, and under the Secure Networks Act the FCC has to implement it. That determination covers "All foreign-produced advanced robotic devices, unless the Department of War (DOW) transmits to the FCC a specific determination that a given foreign-produced advanced robotic device, or a class of such devices, does not pose such risks."

The stated risks were "posing a supply chain vulnerability that could disrupt U.S. economic and national security" and "creating a cybersecurity risk that threatens the security of critical infrastructure and thus the safety and security of U.S. persons." The determination adds that these robots "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."

How does being on the Covered List stop a robot from being sold?

Through equipment authorization. Most electronics need FCC authorization before they can be imported, marketed or sold here. Under section 2.903(a) of the FCC's rules, "once added to the Covered List, 'covered' equipment is prohibited from receiving equipment authorizations." Under section 2.911, every applicant has to certify that its device isn't covered (DA 26-786).

There's no side door. The FCC says a new foreign-produced robot "cannot evade the Covered List restrictions by relying on SDoC," the lighter self-declaration route some devices use (FCC FAQ).

What does the rule not do?

This is the part most headlines skipped. The FCC's FAQ is direct about it:

Existing models keep selling. "Being added to the Covered List today does not prohibit the import, sale, or use of any existing device models the FCC previously authorized."
Your robot keeps working. "The Covered List does not restrict the continued use by consumers of previously-purchased devices." Asked whether there are any restrictions on consumers' ability to use these devices, the FCC's answer is one word: "No."
Updates continue. Under a waiver, covered devices "can continue to receive basic software and firmware updates to maintain usability."
Repairs are fine. The rules "do not prohibit the repairs of already-authorized devices that consumers currently possess," or swapping in identical replacement parts.
No country is named. "This action is country neutral." The nationality of the company that makes the robot "is not relevant."
Makers aren't blacklisted. The FCC says the rule "will not implicate various rules and programs applicable to entities 'identified' on the Covered List, because this newly-covered equipment is identified by place of production, not by entity" (DA 26-786).

The FCC's summary of what the update does not affect also lists "the continued importing, marketing, or selling of existing models" that have "already received FCC equipment authorization."

Two narrower carve-outs exist. Sales to the federal government are "entirely exempt," and small batches of unauthorized devices can be imported solely for product development or testing under 47 CFR 2.1204(a)(3), as long as they aren't marketed or sold.

Which robots count as "advanced robotic devices"?

More than you might guess. The FCC uses the definition in the National Security Determination (FCC FAQ). In plain terms, a device is covered if it:

is a mechanical mobile device, a category that names autonomous mobile robots, humanoids and quadrupeds;
moves on the ground and operates at a distance from a person, on commands or sensor data;
weighs over 4.4 lbs together with its ground or docking station, if it has one;
has a sensor, a network connection of at least 200 kbps in either direction (wired or wireless, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi included), and software that controls its movement, data collection or remote control.

Excluded: connected vehicles, rail-only vehicles, drones, unmanned underwater vehicles, FDA-classified medical devices including wheelchairs and walkers, and fixed robot arms for industrial or medical use.

So robot mowers, app-connected floor cleaners, humanoids and robot dogs can all qualify. Pool robots too. The FCC says dual-use pool cleaners that work above the waterline "are not excluded." Warehouse AGVs "may fall within the definition" even on predefined paths.

What makes a robot "foreign-produced"?

Anything that isn't a "domestic end product" under 48 CFR 25.101(a). The FCC spells out two tests, and a robot has to pass both:

it must be "manufactured in the United States," and
"the cost of domestic components shall exceed 65 percent for items delivered in calendar years 2024 through 2028 and 75 percent for items delivered starting in calendar year 2029."

Off-the-shelf parts count toward that math. The FCC says all components, "including COTS components, must be considered." So "assembled in America" isn't enough on its own. A US-made robot with mostly imported parts can still be foreign-produced under this rule.

What is a Conditional Approval?

It's the exemption. A maker producing robots abroad emails the information in the FCC's Advanced Robotic Devices Guidance Document to [email protected]. The FCC forwards it to DoW, which evaluates it. "Any entity involved in producing the device can apply," and one approval can cover a whole class of products (FCC FAQ).

When DoW approves, the FCC publishes a notice. It treats each approval as "a specific determination" by DoW that the devices don't pose those risks, and removes them from the Covered List (DA 26-957).

The conditions are real. ANSCER's approval, for example, is "subject to ANSCER's continuous compliance with the onshoring plan outlined in its conditional approval application and pursuant to updated vetting of its products." A missed plan or a false statement "could result in termination of the conditional approval and return to the FCC's Covered List." Robot approvals with no termination date "will remain effective indefinitely" on those terms (DA 26-996).

Which robots have Conditional Approval so far?

As of October 29, 2026, we count six FCC notices with robot approvals:

Notice	Released	Robots named
DA 26-957	Sept. 9, 2026	Husqvarna AB's 305v IQ, 310v IQ, 420v IQ and 440v IQ robotic platforms
DA 26-996	Sept. 18, 2026	ANSCER Robotics' AR250, AR650 and AR1250 robotic platforms
DA 26-1063	Oct. 2, 2026	Matic Robots' Robotic Floor Cleaner Model 4MA0001 and Charging Dock Model 4DK0008
DA 26-1114	Oct. 16, 2026	Volley Automation's AGVs and autonomous mobile robots
DA 26-1130	Oct. 21, 2026	Vulcan Robotics' Sourccey mobile robotic platform
DA 26-1154	Oct. 23, 2026	Haystack Robotics' Violet AI robotic device; T-Robotics' entire class of AGVs

Only two are household products: Husqvarna's mowers and Matic's floor cleaner. The rest are commercial and industrial. The FCC keeps the master list on its Covered List page.

What should a buyer do differently now?

Check the FCC ID, not the brand. A model authorized before July 28, 2026 is as sellable today as it was in June. The FCC ID is on the label or box, and you can look it up on the FCC's equipment authorization search. Some devices are authorized by SDoC instead and carry no FCC ID. The FCC says you can ask the importer or seller for that compliance information.

Be careful with brand-new launches and gray-market imports. If a covered robot never received FCC authorization, the FCC's answer to using it here is that "the general answer is 'no.'"

Our arrivals board does that lookup for the robots we track, with the document and date on every row.

What else do buyers ask about the rule?

Is the FCC banning robot vacuums and mowers? No. It blocks new authorizations for foreign-produced models without Conditional Approval. Models already authorized can still be sold.

Does the rule target China? The FCC says the action "is country neutral." The test is where a robot is produced, not who owns the company.

Will my robot stop getting updates? No. The FCC says covered devices can keep receiving "basic software and firmware updates to maintain usability."

Can I get my robot repaired? Yes. Repairs of already-authorized devices, and replacement with identical parts, aren't prohibited.

Is a robot made in the US automatically exempt? Not automatically. Domestic components must also exceed 65% of component cost for items delivered in 2024 through 2028, and 75% from 2029.

Who do I ask about the rule? The FCC lists Chris Smeenk of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau as its contact, at 202-418-1630 (DA 26-786).

This page explains public FCC documents as of October 29, 2026. It is not legal advice. If you sell or import robots, talk to a lawyer who handles FCC equipment authorization.