US Bans Foreign Humanoid Robots, Reshaping a China-Dominated Market

The US government has banned new imports of humanoid and quadruped robots from foreign manufacturers, plus related power converters and batteries, citing national-security and cybersecurity risks; models already in use are exempt. China, which dominates the global humanoid-robot market, condemned the move as protectionist, while analysts say the impact will be short-term and will push demand toward Europe as vendors adjust. The decision follows FCC assessments and interagency security reviews in the White House’s framework of tech rivalry, and comes as Chinese firms eye IPOs and US firms like Nvidia expand collaborations with Chinese makers—though the ban complicates those relations. Last year China accounted for roughly 90% of worldwide humanoid-robot shipments across more than 140 manufacturers.