FCC Bans New Chinese Robot Vacuums : bObsweep Maxim at $439 Cleans Without Sending Data

On July 28, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission added foreign-manufactured "advanced robotic devices" to its national security Covered List, and then confirmed to The Verge that the definition explicitly includes robot vacuums. The practical effect: every new model from Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi, and Narwal — the five Chinese brands that together held 68% of the global robot vacuum market in 2025, according to IDC data reported by the South China Morning Post — is now blocked from receiving the US equipment authorization it needs to be imported, marketed, or sold. The brand that used to be the American exception, iRobot, is no longer an exception: Roomba's parent company, Shenzhen's Picea Robotics, acquired the bankrupt iRobot in January 2026, bringing it under the same Chinese legal framework that makes data sharing with Beijing a legal obligation rather than a choice. That leaves buyers who want a new, fully-featured robot vacuum-and-mop system at a major US retailer with very few options — and one of them, the bObsweep Maxim, is currently priced at $439.99 at Best Buy, down from its regular $1,499.99, as part of an ongoing sale. The FCC's Covered List operates under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act.…