Wire
Foreign-linked robot software could face U.S. security review
Robot makers, importers and companies planning to deploy humanoid or quadruped machines could face a new Federal Communications Commission security review under the GUARD Act. If national security agencies do nothing within a year, the FCC would have to add the gear and software
For robot makers, importers and the companies hoping to deploy humanoid or quadruped machines, the first hurdle could become federal security review. In the House, Michigan Rep. John Moolenaar, joined by Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte and Democratic Rep. Jennifer McClellan, introduced a bill on June 3 that would treat certain robotics communications equipment or services as a potential national-security problem, not just a product decision.
The point is not to ban robots. It is to put the communications layer, the software and services that help those machines connect, respond and operate, under a tighter federal lens if they come from a covered foreign entity. That could matter for the systems businesses buy for warehouses, factories and other workplaces, and for consumer-facing robots that depend on connected features to function.
A clock starts running
The GUARD Act gives an appropriate national security agency one year after enactment to decide whether the covered robotics equipment or services pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or to the security and safety of U.S. persons. If the agency decides they do not pose that risk, the item stays off the list.
The sharper rule is the fallback. If no determination is made within that year, the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, would have to add all covered robotics communications equipment or services to its covered list. That turns inaction into a regulatory outcome, which is exactly what gives the bill its force.
What gets swept in
The bill reaches beyond hardware alone. It covers software designed to control a humanoid or quadruped robot when it is produced or provided by a covered foreign entity. It also defines those entities to include companies headquartered in, organized under or controlled by a country of concern, along with certain affiliates, subsidiaries, joint ventures and technology-sharing partners.
That is why the proposal matters to more than one corner of the robotics market. Manufacturers would have to pay closer attention to supply chains and design choices, while importers and buyers could face more scrutiny over where the communications pieces of a robot come from and who can stand behind them. The small coalition behind the bill includes two Republicans and one Democrat, a narrow but notable split for a measure built around security concerns.