The FCC just banned almost all robot vacuums made outside the US
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Is your robot vacuum getting banned by the federal government?
On July 28, the Federal Communications Commission added foreign-produced “advanced robotic devices” to its Covered List, which prevents newly introduced models from receiving the equipment authorization required to be imported, marketed and sold in the United States.
The FCC’s announcement noted that the executive branch had determined “these devices threaten national security.” The definition is broad enough to capture practically every full-size connected robot vacuum and many robot lawn mowers. A covered robot must move across the ground, operate away from a human supervisor, weigh more than 4.4 pounds (including its dock) and contain environmental sensors, network connectivity and software controlling its movement.
The restriction is based on where the device is produced, not the nationality of the company selling it. That means a robot from an American brand could still be covered if it is manufactured abroad. New overseas-made models from brands such as Roborock, Samsung, Dreame and other major names will generally be unable to obtain FCC authorization, unless they apply for and receive a waiver.
The government claims the ban is because networked robots create cybersecurity risks, due to how they can collect floor plans, images and other information about the spaces they map. The executive branch warned that foreign actors could potentially use collected data for surveillance or remotely interfere with a robot’s physical operation.
For anyone who currently owns a robot vacuum or lawnmower, models that received FCC authorization before July 28 can still be used. The government is not recalling, disabling or remotely shutting down devices already inside people’s homes. Retailers may also continue selling and importing previously authorized models.
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