What Should Factories Check on Foreign-Made Robots Already on the Floor?

The FCC can block a new robot model. It cannot make an installed robot explain itself. The agency added foreign-made “advanced robotic devices” to its Covered List this week, blocking authorization of new models. Robots already acquired, and models that already have equipment authorization, are not affected, according to The Robot Report. Conditional approvals are also possible. The security concern is easy to understand. A mobile robot can carry radios, cameras, microphones and a map of the building. But country of origin is a rough proxy for what the machine beside a worker is doing today. For every connected robot already on the floor, I’d want a card at the machine—not buried in procurement files: - exact hardware, radio modules and software build - camera, microphone and sensor-data destinations - last successful outbound connection - remote-access and update state - one local way to cut network access without disabling the physical stop Then test it. Unplug the upstream network and see whether the robot stops safely, keeps moving on stale instructions, or shows a clear fault that workers can read. Run the check again after a software or radio-module change. The useful questio