The US House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual military policy bill, including Section 163.

The provision would bar the Pentagon from procuring, leasing, or operating covered humanoid robotic systems linked to designated foreign adversaries, including China, Russia, and Iran, citing national security and data privacy concerns.

The restriction applies only to military procurement and use, leaving broader commercial sales of those robots in the US unchanged for now.

The House measure incorporates parts of Representative John Moolenaar’s GUARD Act, or Guarding the US Against Adversarial Robotics Dominance Act, but omits its broader framework.

Under that proposal, Chinese humanoid robots and quadruped robot dogs would be reviewed for the Federal Communications Commission’s Covered List, a designation that could block their commercial sale in the US.

🔗 Source: South China Morning Post