How the FCC’s New Rule Will Affect Robot Vacuums

This week, the US Federal Communications Commission banned the import of foreign-made advanced mobile robots. Humanoid and quadruped robots are specifically named, indicating the true target is robotic versions of people and animals, but something else happens to be an “advanced mobile robot”: robot vacuums.

So what does this ban mean? Though it's effective immediately, nothing changes for now. Robot vacuums won't get removed from the market, and your current robot vacuum won't stop working. The ban will instead stop new models from getting FCC approval to be sold in the United States. The vacuums available now won't be affected, but new models likely won't make it to the US if they're manufactured outside the country. And, unfortunately, a lot of great robot vacuum brands aren't based in the States.

Here's everything to know about what will happen next.

What the Ban Covers

The FCC updated its Covered List this week to include foreign-made advanced mobile robots, which include robot vacuums. The Covered List, which comes from Section 2 of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, is a “list of communications equipment and services that are deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons.”

It may feel like overkill for just a robot vacuum, but the definition of an advanced robotic device from the National Security Determination, an interagency body of the Executive Branch, clearly includes them. That definition includes the following highlights:

• Autonomous mobile robots that are capable of locomotion, obstacle avoidance, navigation, or movement on the ground;
• Operates at a distance from a human operator or supervisor;
• Combined weight of the device and docking station is over 4.4 pounds;
• Contains a sensor capable of perceiving its environment;
• Contains a component capable of providing network connectivity, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi;
• Contains software running locally or remotely, including firmware and AI or machine-learning; model weights that control the robot's navigation and movement perception.

The National Security Determination said that connected vehicles, vehicles on rail lines, aircraft, and unmanned underwater vehicles are not included in the ban, along with stationary robots. But foreign-made robot vacuums, along with similar robots like robotic pool cleaners and automated lawn mowers, look to be on the chopping block.

The announcement comes after the FCC labeled all of these devices a security risk, since, according to the National Security Determination, “the networked capabilities of advanced robotic systems create extensive vulnerabilities and vectors for attacks that can manipulate the data and physical operation of the advanced robotic system.”

The concern is primarily with the cameras and sensors built into these devices—some even have microphones built into the base station for voice commands. It is a security risk to bring any device into your home that has a camera and the ability to connect to the internet—especially if your Wi-Fi isn't secure. But it's interesting to see the ban stop at robot vacuums and not, say, smart speakers or devices with always-on cameras. The FCC documentation actually lists live cameras as an example, as well as an example of a humanoid robot being hacked, but no example for robot vacuums.

For the most part, it looks like robot vacuums just got unlucky. They're using the same sensors as other robots but aren't streaming live feeds of their surroundings. They do map your home, but that map isn't useful for anything besides knowing where the couch is and which rooms have carpet or hard floors. I wouldn't call these the most dangerous device with a camera in my home by any means, but it seems the government disagrees. This is not the only thing that's been banned lately, either—in May, the FCC also banned foreign-made routers, so we might continue to see bans for various household technology products roll out as the year goes on.

What Happens Now?

For now, you can shop robot vacuums (and other, similar automated home cleaning robots) as you normally would. FCC approval has already been given to all the robots on the market, so we can expect changes to take place in the future rather than immediately.

I reached out to the makers of my top robot vacuum picks, Shark and Eufy, along with popular robot makers Dreame and Roborock. Shark and Dreame didn't respond, and Roborock declined to comment. Eufy replied with the following statement:

“We are aware of the FCC’s recent update. Based on our current understanding, the new rule does not affect the continued availability, use, or support of products we currently sell in the United States. Those products remain available and will continue to receive updates and customer support.”

So don't worry about getting rid of your robot vacuum if you already have one you love. If you're in the market for a new model, I'd recommend shopping the newest models from brands that could be affected, like Dreame and Eufy, in case future models are blocked from arriving in the States.

It will also be interesting to see which companies avoid the ban—Shark is based in the US, for example, but it's unclear where the company's robot manufacturing is located. Matic is another US-based brand that could potentially evade the ban. But the buying options will be much, much more limited as time goes on.

The ban is disappointing news with IFA Berlin starting September 4, where we often see new robot vacuums announced. I'm not sure anything we'll see there this year will reach the US. A reduced market also isn't good for consumers—having fewer options never helps a category and might ultimately raise prices on less powerful vacuums because of limited supply. Only time will tell what the fallout will be.

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