Ban on Chinese robots leaves U.S. startups stranded
Patrex’s company aims to make robots that fetch deliveries and carry laundry in apartment buildings. Like most robotics entrepreneurs in the Bay Area, he experimented with Chinese robots and had his first products assembled in China.
Key takeaways
- The biggest story today is the Chinese humanoid‑robot maker Unitree Robotics’ record‑breaking IPO on Shanghai’s STAR market, where shares opened at about 1,100 yuan – more than 600 % above the 150.8‑yuan issue price – raising roughly 6.1 billion yuan (about $905 million).
- In the same week Unitree unveiled a new humanoid called “Superman,” which can jump two metres from a standstill, run up to 12.66 m / s and perform backflips, positioning it as the fastest and most agile humanoid yet.
- Analysts project China’s humanoid‑robot market to grow to $15 billion by 2030, with shipments expected to reach 50,000 units this year.
- At the same time, U.S. firms are pitching humanoid robots for southern‑border surveillance, while a recent FCC ban on new foreign‑made humanoid and quadruped robots threatens Unitree’s future U.S. sales and forces American startups to source domestically.
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Patrex’s company aims to make robots that fetch deliveries and carry laundry in apartment buildings. Like most robotics entrepreneurs in the Bay Area, he experimented with Chinese robots and had his first products assembled in China. In early 2026, sensing growing U.S. scrutiny of Chinese robots, Patrex set up an additional assembly facility in Canada, with key components coming from China, meaning these robots wouldn’t qualify for sale in the U.S. under the latest FCC rule.
You need to provide the carrot as well as the stick.”Michael Perry, head of commercial strategy at Houston-based Persona AI Michael Perry, head of commercial strategy at Persona AI, a Houston-based startup that is developing industrial humanoid robots, told Rest of World that even before the FCC ban, U.S. clients had been requesting robots with no Chinese components for security reasons. Perry said Persona AI had been sourcing parts from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Italy.
But the company still needs to work toward satisfying the latest FCC rule requiring 65% made-in-American components, Perry said. In addition to banning foreign products, he added, the U.S. government should be doing more to grow the domestic supply chains. “You need to provide the carrot as well as the stick,” Perry said. “Right now, you’re only providing the stick.”
How China pulled ahead to dominance The new ban is going to force all the researchers and software-based companies to buy U.S. instead. For us, it’s no doubt a positive thing.” Antonio Li, founder of San Francisco-based Nori Robotics
The latest FCC ban has added to growing trade tensions between the U.S. and China. China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized the U.S. for disrupting international trade and “overstretching the national security concept.” In August, Beijing imposed trade restrictions on several American entities and tightened export controls on drones sold to the U.S., citing the FCC decision and a separate blacklisting of Chinese firms over alleged labor abuses in Xinjiang.
Some robot makers have welcomed the import ban, hoping it will protect them from cheaper Chinese competition in the long run.
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