The FCC just closed the US door on new foreign-made home robots

The FCC added advanced robotic devices to its Covered List, adopting the rules on July 28, 2026 and announcing them on July 30. A covered device is one over 4.4 pounds that can move, navigate and avoid obstacles, and can be operated remotely. New foreign-made models can no longer receive equipment authorization, which is the approval a device needs before it can be sold in the US.

The FCC was explicit about the limit of the rule: “This action does not impact a consumer’s continued use of devices they previously acquired.” Models already authorized can still be sold.

Most of the aisle is affected

The brands named across coverage span the market: iRobot’s Roomba, SharkNinja’s Shark, Dyson’s 360 series, Samsung’s Jet Bot and LG’s CordZero, alongside Chinese market leaders Roborock, Ecovacs and Dreame. Consumer Reports reports robotic lawn mowers are swept in too.

The twist nobody scripted

iRobot, the company that made Roomba a household word in America, filed for Chapter 11 in December 2025 and is now owned by Shenzhen Picea Robotics and Santrum Hong Kong, with manufacturing in China and Vietnam. The most American robot vacuum brand is now a Chinese-owned company caught by a US rule written about Chinese robots.

Whether a rule like this protects consumers or just quietly removes their options is the question the next year of home robotics in the US will answer.