The FCC Just Banned Most Robot Vacuums. Here’s What That Means
On Sunday, the Federal Communications Commission issued an important update clarifying how its national security restrictions on equipment from certain foreign companies apply to robots. The update may be broader than it first seemed. In addition to banning the import of new models of humanoid robots that walk and dance, the language could also apply to household devices like robot vacuums and other mobile technology.
The key phrase in the FCC’s statement is “advanced robotic devices,” under which the agency includes autonomous robots that are “capable of locomotion, obstacle avoidance, navigation or movement on the ground”. The rule also requires the device and its ground station to weigh over 4.4 pounds. Most robot vacuums are heavy enough to be affected, although fuzzy toys like SwitchBot’s AI pets are too light to be included. However, it will likely also apply to most robot lawn mowers, pool robotsand even...
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