The FCC clears Lightberry’s Lumi and robots from five other companies from its national-security list
Since July, a robot made abroad needs a national-security approval in the United States. Six companies now have one.
Published November 3, 2026
On October 30, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission published a public notice (DA 26-1181) that removes from its Covered List, the list of equipment found to “pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States,” the robots of six companies that received a Conditional Approval from the Department of War: ARAPL, ATI Motors, Lightberry, SunScout, Swap Robotics and OMRON. One of them is Lightberry’s Lumi, which the notice calls “interactive mobile robots.”
The notice recalls that on July 28, 2026, the FCC added to that list “foreign-produced advanced robotic devices, except advanced robotic devices which have been granted a Conditional Approval by DoW.” The exemptions come with conditions: each company must keep to the onshoring plan in its application, and its products will go on being vetted. Humanoids Daily, which reported the news on November 2, describes Lumi as a humanoid built on a Unitree robot. Lightberry says it replaces the original sensors, computer and software and plans to make the body, head and hands in the United States, and its CEO, Ali Attar, said the exemption lets the company apply for FCC certification, the next step before selling Lumi off the shelf. He expects to ship “very soon,” without giving a date.
What it means for a family. Before asking what a home robot can do, the United States now asks who built it and who keeps checking it. For a family, that is a first filter it did not choose: a robot made abroad reaches the living room only after a national-security review, and that approval can be withdrawn. Chapter 6 of The Tireless Parent explains why Washington decided to regulate where a robot comes from before regulating what it makes us feel.