Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes that the future is robotic, and he is willing to spend $25 billion of his company’s money this year to prove it. Musk already says Tesla (TSLA) is much more than a car company, so when the company raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to over $25 billion for mostly non-car-related development, most analysts didn’t blink (though some did).A significant portion of that money is going to retooling the company’s car production capacity to make room for the production of 1 million Optimus humanoid robots annually.But as is the case with its electric vehicles, Chinese competition represents a big obstacle to Tesla’s long-term plans for humanoid robots. However, new rules issued by the Federal Communications Commission offer Tesla a reprieve from some of its biggest competitors. FCC adds robots to ‘covered list’This week, the FCC updated its “covered list” to include two new categories: advanced robotic devices and connected power inverters produced in foreign countries. The agency says it made the decision following an executive branch meeting at the White House that featured national security advisers who determined that advanced robots and power inverters built in foreign countries “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the U.S. or the safety and security of U.S. persons,” according to a press release. The robot ban includes humanoid robots like the one Tesla makes as well as quadruped robots (robot dogs).Along with the inverters, “these devices could create supply chain vulnerabilities that could disrupt U.S. economic and national security and could create a cybersecurity risk,” against critical U.S. infrastructure. “I welcome these Executive Branch national security determinations, and I am pleased that the FCC has now added foreign-produced advanced robotics and power inverters to the FCC’s Covered List,” said FCC chairman Brendan Carr.
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Why do foreign robots present national security risks?According to the FCC, advanced robotic systems with networked capabilities create “extensive vulnerabilities and vectors for attacks” that could be used to manipulate their physical operation.Not only that, but the data collected by the robots is also vulnerable to being used by bad actors to spy on Americans. “Relying on foreign-produced advanced robotic devices presents unacceptable supply chain and cybersecurity vulnerabilities . . . Advanced robotic devices collect data that could be leveraged by malign actors to surveil Americans, enhance the capabilities of foreign intelligence services, or to remotely commandeer the robots,” the FCC says. What are the next steps?If you have already purchased a foreign-made inverter or robot, then your device is grandfathered in and legal. However, new foreign-produced advanced robotic devices and power inverters are “generally prohibited from receiving FCC authorization to be imported, marketed, or sold in the U.S.”The new rules do not prohibit the sale, import or use of any existing models that the FCC previously authorized. Foreign advanced robotics manufacturers that receive a “conditional approval” from the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security can also continue to receive FCC equipment authorizations. You can view the full list of companies with conditional approval; many of them appear to be drone manufacturers. What does this mean for Tesla?Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been extremely optimistic about Optimus, calling it perhaps “the most important product” in Tesla’s history; there seems to be one major problem with his grand vision for the future: not many people are looking to buy a $30,000 humanoid robot.Lack of demand led Tesla to mothball the Model X and Model S, but the company is betting billions that demand for humanoid robots will be there to replace them. However, there is scant evidence for this train of thought.“Tesla’s humanoid robots have hardly demonstrated any notable capabilities, but they’re supposed to cost tens of thousands of dollars each once they’re launched,” Zachary Shahan of CleanTechnica wrote recently.Part of the issue is that Optimus robots are extremely expensive. The robot costs $10,000 to produce at Giga Texas, according to Tesla Car World, and could retail for between $20,000 and $30,000, according to StandardBots.“Normal people can’t plop down $30,000 on a robot companion, and how many super-rich people are really going to benefit from one? And $30,000 is probably an overly optimistic price. Who is going to spend $30,000 or more on what is basically a toy?” Shahan said.However, what little demand there is currently is now protected from foreign competition, especially from China, which leads the world with over 150 operating companies building robots and accounts for between 80% and 90% of worldwide humanoid robot shipments, according to The Robot Report. Related: Tesla sales rebound hides costly problem for investors