Robot regulation
Which humanoid robots are banned in the US?
No specific robot is on a published US ban list. On 28 July 2026 the FCC added foreign-produced advanced robotic devices, meaning humanoids and quadrupeds, to its Covered List. That blocks new models from the equipment authorization needed to import or sell them, attributed to the FCC. It is prospective: it does not affect devices already purchased or already approved.
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There is no published list naming individual banned robots, and DEPLOY will not invent one. What exists is a category action, and what DEPLOY can verify is where each robot's maker is based.
The FCC added foreign-produced advanced robotic devices, which its fact sheet defines as mobile robots such as humanoids and quadrupeds, to its Covered List on 28 July 2026. New models in that category generally cannot get the equipment authorization required to import, market or sell them in the United States. Three limits matter and are easy to miss. The action is prospective, and the FCC states it does not affect any previously purchased devices. Retailers may keep selling models already approved. And a producer can seek Conditional Approval through a national security determination by the Department of War, so this is a gate with a path through it rather than a flat prohibition.
The scope is foreign-produced, which is broader than China even though China is the stated focus. That distinction is why this page does not sort makers into a simple safe and unsafe pair. It groups them by where the record says they are based: China, the United States, elsewhere abroad, and a small group whose headquarters DEPLOY cannot establish.
Every nationality below is read live from that maker's reviewed registry record. The legal status of any individual robot is not on DEPLOY's record, and this page does not assert one.
Where these robots are actually from
Every published humanoid and quadruped on DEPLOY's record, grouped by the country its maker is headquartered in. This is provenance, not a legal ruling.
- On the record
- 130
- China-based makers
- 70
- US-based makers
- 31
- Other countries
- 26
What the action does, and what it does not
Each column is attributed to who states it. The third is the limit of what DEPLOY can answer at all.
A category added to the Covered List
On 28 July 2026 the FCC added foreign-produced advanced robotic devices, which it defines as mobile robots such as humanoids and quadrupeds, to its Covered List. New models in the category generally cannot receive the equipment authorization required to import, market or sell them in the United States.
Prospective, with an approval path
The FCC states the action does not affect any previously purchased devices, and that retailers may continue selling previously approved models. A producer may also seek Conditional Approval through a national security determination by the Department of War. It is a gate with a route through it, not a flat prohibition.
Provenance, not legal status
DEPLOY holds verified maker nationality, read live from each reviewed company record. It does not hold per-model FCC authorization status and makes no legal determination about any individual robot. This page reports where a maker is based; it never states that a named robot is banned.
Made by China-based companies
China is the stated focus of the action. These robots are made by companies headquartered in China on DEPLOY's record. That is a statement about the maker, not a finding that any of these models has been banned.
China-headquartered makers
| Robot | Maker | Headquarters | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| AgiBot A2 | AgiBot | Shanghai, China | ProductionVerified maker HQ |
| AgiBot A2-W | AgiBot | Shanghai, China | CommercialVerified maker HQ |
| AgiBot G2 | AgiBot | Shanghai, China | CommercialVerified maker HQ |
Made by US-based companies
The action covers foreign-produced devices, so a US-headquartered maker sits outside that description by definition. This is the list a US buyer is usually looking for.
US-headquartered makers
| Robot | Maker | Headquarters | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | Boardwalk Robotics | Pensacola, FL | PrototypeVerified maker HQ |
| Apollo | Apptronik | Austin, Texas, USA | CommercialVerified maker HQ |
| Apollo 2 | Apptronik | Austin, Texas, USA | PrototypeVerified maker HQ |
Made elsewhere, and still foreign-produced
This group is the one most coverage misses. The FCC action is written against foreign-produced devices, not Chinese ones specifically, so a maker based in Japan, Germany or Vietnam is not automatically outside its scope. Treating these as safe alternatives would be a compliance claim DEPLOY cannot support.
Makers headquartered outside China and the US
| Robot | Maker | Headquarters | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4NE-1 | NEURA Robotics | Metzingen, Germany | PilotVerified maker HQ |
| AEON | Hexagon | Stockholm, Sweden | PilotVerified maker HQ |
| ALLEX | WIRobotics | Seoul, South Korea | PrototypeVerified maker HQ |
Provenance not established
These are listed separately rather than being folded into any group above. Unknown provenance is not evidence of safety, and a compliance page should not round it into one.
Headquarters unresolved or a legal edge case
| Robot | Maker | Headquarters | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quanta X2 | X Square Robot | unknownThis maker's headquarters is not documented on DEPLOY's record, so its provenance cannot be stated either way. | Research and developmentProvenance not established |
| Reflex | Reflex Robotics | unknownThis maker's headquarters is not documented on DEPLOY's record, so its provenance cannot be stated either way. | PilotProvenance not established |
| Sophia | Hanson Robotics | Hong KongHong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China. Whether the FCC action reaches a Hong Kong-based maker is a legal question DEPLOY does not determine. | Research and developmentProvenance not established |
How we know this
The scope and limits of the FCC action on this page are attributed to the Commission's own fact sheet, with an independent legal-press reading alongside it. Every maker nationality is read live from that company's reviewed record on the DEPLOY registry rather than from the press. Here are the sources behind the action itself.
DEPLOY reports maker provenance, which it can verify, and attributes the ban's scope to the FCC, which it cannot. Per-model authorization status is not on the record and is not asserted anywhere on this page.
Common questions
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