NewzFederal Communications Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in a move that targets China. Humanoid robots and four-legged robots made in China fall squarely under a new ban imposed by the US Federal Communications Commission on foreign-made robots. But the sweeping prohibition covers a wide variety of robots manufactured anywhere abroad, including the newest robot vacuum cleaners.
The Trump administration's FCC justified the ban on foreign-made robots by referencing cybersecurity vulnerabilities previously discovered in robots specifically made by Chinese companies. On July 28, the federal agency added “foreign-produced advanced robotic devices” to its Covered List of technologies “deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the US or the safety and security of US persons.” However, the FCC cannot update the Covered List on its own initiative and is required by law to follow the direction of a “qualifying national security authority.” The agency describes the White House as having “convened an executive branch interagency body” that “included appropriate national security agencies,” which determined foreign-made robots as presenting a national security risk.Read full article Comments of protectionism.The measures are likely to test relations with Beijing ahead of a planned U.S.
visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in September. China dominates the global market for humanoid robots with an estimated market share of roughly 85%.The FCC's ban also includes new imports of quadruped robots, often referred to as four-legged robot dogs.
The agency said imports of advanced robots pose cybersecurity and other national security risks. Offshore production of such equipment also leaves U.S. supply chains vulnerable to disruptions.RELATED STORY | An OpenAI test model escaped and broke into a real companys serversThe ban on power inverters, which are used to convert direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity and are used in renewable energy systems, data centers and household appliances, could have sweeping ramifications.This is the latest in US restrictions on Chinese importsFCC chairperson Brendan Carr said Tuesday that the move was to "secure America's critical supply chains." He said the bans apply to "new versions" of such imports.The FCC's bans follow a slew of U.S.
restrictions on imports of Chinese products, including drones, and on exports of U.S. advanced technology to China.The U.S. is also weighing controls on use of Chinese open-source artificial intelligence models at a time when Chinese AI is rapidly gaining ground."It's a steady drumbeat of potential flashpoints heading into (the) Trump-Xi summit planned for September," said Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at the New America think tank focused on Chinese technology policies.China has been rapidly expanding the use of robots, with policies supporting its technology sector.
Morgan Stanley analysts forecast its market for humanoids could reach $15 billion by 2030."Chinese manufacturers have been scaling production and reducing costs faster than most overseas competitors," said analyst Kangyuxiao Li at Morningstar."Restricting their access to the U.S. removes an important future market and protects U.S. developers from potential price competition," he said.
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