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Experts call FCC's block on foreign robotics a nearshoring tactic. While cyberthreats are a growing risk to national security, the agency's sweeping block on humanoids, quadrupeds and mobile robot imports could reinvigorate domestic suppliers. Published Aug. 18, 2026 First published on Following the Trump administration's move last month to block the sale of advanced industrial robots from all countries outside of the United States, experts are mixed on the outcome but ultimately supportive of what this could mean from a supply standpoint. The Federal Communications Commission on July 28 updated its covered list to include imports of mobile robots, such as humanoids and quadrupeds, as well as connected power inverters, citing national security risks. Products meeting those definitions can no longer receive FCC equipment authorization and cannot be imported, marketed or sold in the U.S., making them essentially banned. Affected companies can apply for a conditional approval. The sweeping action, which immediately took effect, came amid growing concern over China's ability to surveil customers and obtain sensitive data around the world from devices assembled in the country. However, it also looks to address another issue entirely - the U.S. falling behind globally in terms of robot production and deployment. "Domestically, we need help," Robert Little, a business development advisor and former chief of robotics strategy at Novanta, said. At first glance, Little said he thought the move was necessary for cybersecurity reasons. But after looking at the FCC's similar action regarding drones and drone parts, he said the recent ban was also a mechanism to drive domestic production of humanoids and mobile robots, as well as incentive for foreign suppliers to build their supply chains in the U.S. "That's its ultimate purpose," Little said. "And I think it can be effective." The U.S. is considered one of the global robotics leaders when it comes to investor capital, fueled by surging interest in AI, foundation model research and robotics systems. U.S.-headquartered companies such as Figure AI, Agility Robotics and Tesla received 52% of the $9.4 billion in global venture capital deployed last year, according to the Robotics Center of Silicon Valley. However, there is a widening gap between the number of robots manufactured by U.S. companies versus Chinese competitors. China installed 295,000 robots in 2024, representing more than half of the world's market share, according to the International Federation of Robotics. While preliminary 2025 numbers have not been released yet for China, the group estimated that installations are about ten times higher than the U.S. In other words, the "U.S. leads the world in where robotics is heading...while losing the race on where robotics is shipping today," the Robotics Center of Silicon Valley said in its 2026 report. To address the issue, the Association for Advancing Automation has urged Congress to consider adopting a national robotics strategy that includes subsidies, tax incentives and other means to drive domestic adoption and production of U.S. robots. The FCC's move, which only applies to new products, creates a runway for domestic companies to become more competitive, Little said. Then if the restrictions are lifted in the next few years, "they'll be in a much better place." Erik Nieves, founder and CEO of Plus One Robotics, said he knew the Trump administration would put restrictions on China's robots but was surprised by the breadth of the FCC's ban. Rather than just targeting China, the move affected robotics from all other countries, including trade partners such as Japan, Germany and South Korea. "We would have preferred to see it be more circumspect, but you don't control what the government does," Nieves said. "If it's true that every action is an overreaction, that's what this is." He also pointed out that the impact of the ban depends on the complexity of the conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Defense. Nieves said the details are unclear about the exemption process, adding that if it's more than just a simple check, then the U.S. could be "excessively hampering partners that we really would not rather do that to." Some say the ban doesn't go far enough. In a recent LinkedIn post, Standard Bots CEO Evan Beard said that fixed industrial robot arms should be part of the FCC's covered list because, similar to mobile robots, they have a networked, sensing, actuated system and raise security risks.

Novanta reported second-quarter revenue of $265.8 million, beating analyst estimates of $262.3 million with 10.3% year-on-year growth. The medical technology company also exceeded expectations on adjusted earnings per share ($0.89 versus $0.83 estimated) and adjusted EBITDA ($60.73 million versus $58.88 million estimated). CEO Matthijs Glastra attributed the performance to organic growth across all business units, driven by increased demand in precision robotics, AI-driven manufacturing, and minimally invasive surgery. New product revenue jumped more than 50% year-on-year. The company raised its full-year revenue guidance to $1.14 billion at the midpoint from $1.05 billion, an 8.4% increase. Management also lifted adjusted earnings guidance to $3.71 per share at the midpoint. During the earnings call, analysts questioned humanoid robotics deployments, Gen AI data centre exposure, and core gross margin evolution.