FCC Bans Foreign Humanoid Robots and Robot Dogs, Applying Telecom-Era Surveillance Logic to Embodied AI

The FCC has banned new imports of foreign-made humanoid robots, robot dogs, and power inverters, citing surveillance and cyberattack risks. The move extends national-security logic previously applied to Huawei and ZTE gear to networked robotics — devices with cameras, microphones, and always-on connectivity. China's Foreign Ministry pledged "all measures necessary" to protect its businesses. Existing deployments are unaffected.