The United States government has issued a ban on “advanced robotic devices” produced outside of the US, which has been confirmed to include robot vacuums.

On Tuesday, the US government officially enacted a ban on “advanced robotic devices” that are “produced in foreign countries.” The FCC’s announcement specifically calls out these devices as being “defined as mobile robots, such as humanoids and quadrupeds,” but it includes something much closer to home – your robot vacuum.

Confirmed to The Verge, the FCC says that your robot vacuum is included in the ban.

Specifically, new versions of your robot vacuum as, like with a prior router ban, companies can continue to import and sell existing/approved devices. It’s a massive blow as major robot vacuums brands such as Roborock, Ecovacs, Narwal, and countless others are all based outside of the US (and largely in China).

Virtually no robot vacuum makers will be eligible for a waiver seeing as 65% of components for even devices designed and assembled in the US must be sourced in the US. It stands to reason that other robots such as lawnmowers will also be included in the ban, as well as the various other types of robots used in US warehouses, deliveries, and more. That said, The Verge points out that exceptions are being made for “self-driving cars and trains, unmanned aircraft and underwater vehicles, surgical robots, wheelchairs, and fixed robot arms for industrial and medical use.”

Your existing robot vacuum is safe, as are any other models currently on sale in the US – such as the Roborock Saros 20, Narwal Flow 2, and Ecovacs X11 we’ve reviewed in recent months – but anything new has a wildly uncertain future.

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