What the FCC’s New Robot Rules Mean for Your Vacuum

Robots are having a moment with the federal government — and it’s not all positive. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced a ban on foreign-made advanced mobile robots, a category that covers a ton of different types of robots. And while you probably don’t have a walking, talking robot in your living room yet, you might have something else the ban touches: a robot vacuum.

That everyday cleaning gadget falls squarely into the category now facing new restrictions, and it has nothing to do with battery recalls or overheating parts. Here’s what you need to know.

Late last week, the FCC added advanced robotic devices and foreign-made power inverters to its Covered List, the government’s running roster of tech that’s considered too risky to trust. The list flags communications equipment and services the FCC says pose “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons.”

What that means in practice is that anything on the list can’t get FCC equipment authorization. And without that authorization, a product typically can’t be imported, marketed or sold in the United States.

So why robots? According to the FCC’s National Security Determination, it comes down to what these devices can see and record. Robots are often packed with high-tech sensors that are constantly gathering data about the spaces they move through.

The concern isn’t just what the sensors collect, though. It’s also how the devices connect. Because robots typically operate on networks, the FCC notes they’re vulnerable to the same risks as any connected device: getting hacked, having data stolen or even losing control of the device itself.

While the ban seems mostly aimed at humanoid and animal-like robots, the “advanced robotic devices” category casts a much wider net. If a device checks these boxes, it qualifies for the ban,:

• It can move, navigate or avoid obstacles on its own.
• It operates remotely, either through human control or by responding to sensor data.
• The device (plus any docking station) weighs more than 4.4 pounds combined.
• It has a sensor that reads its surroundings, can connect to a network at 200 kbps or faster, or runs software — including AI or machine-learning models — that controls how it moves, senses its environment or receives remote commands.

Sounds like your vacuum, right? That’s because it probably is. Most robot vacuums move around on their own, connect to your Wi-Fi, gather data about your home’s layout and many weigh in above that 4.4-pound threshold. Put it all together, and they check enough boxes to land on the list.

If your robot vacuum is already part of your cleaning routine, take a breath: It’s not going to stop working, and no one’s coming to confiscate it. The ban only applies to new foreign-produced advanced robotic devices — but since so many robot vacuums are made (or built with components made) outside the U.S., that covers the vast majority of what’s currently on the market. The key word there is new. For now, you can still buy any of the existing models that are already available at retailers.

As mentioned, the existing inventory of robot vacuums in the United States are still up for grabs. With that in mind, I’ve rounded up robot vacuums that are still available to shop today — some are even on sale (at the time of publishing).

NBC Selected commerce editor Cory Fernandez tested this model as a first-time robot vacuum owner and says it took him just about 15 minutes to understand how everything worked. The robot vacuums and mops, while its base station empties debris, dumps dirty water, refills clean water, dries mop pads and recharges the battery on its own. It also offers advanced navigation, obstacle avoidance, room mapping, no-go zones and customizable routines through the Eufy app.

The Lefant M210 is a compact vacuum built for small spaces and homes with pets. At 11 inches in diameter and less than 3 inches tall, it easily cleans under beds, sofas and other low furniture. Instead of a traditional roller brush, it uses a suction port that pulls in pet hair and dirt without the tangling that roller brushes are prone to. It also offers six cleaning modes, infrared sensors to navigate around furniture and avoid falls, and app, Alexa or Google Assistant controls. When the battery runs low, it automatically returns to its charging dock, making it a low-maintenance option for everyday upkeep.

The Roborock Q7 L5 vacuums and mops your floors at the same time, using strong suction to pull dirt out of carpets and crevices while a laser mapping system helps it find the most efficient path around your home. It’s built with anti–tangle brushes meant to resist hair wrapping, so you don’t have to clean them out as often, and the mop pads can clean dried-on stains from floors. You can use the app to set cleaning schedules and pick which rooms the vac should avoid.

The iRobot Roomba 105 Vac cleans your floors on its own, using much stronger suction than older Roomba models, plus a brush along the edges and a main brush pick up different kinds of dirt. It uses laser mapping to scan and remember the layout of your home, so it can clean more thoroughly instead of bumping around randomly. You can control it through an app, which lets you schedule cleanings, focus on specific rooms and skip others.

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I am a commerce editor at NBC Selected and a journalist who regularly covers lifestyle, wellness and more. I have written about how to relieve shoulder pain and whether or not makeup wipes are bad for you.