reuters.com - US lawmakers introduce bill ban government use chinese robots

Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the third most-powerful Republican in the ‌Senate, and Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat in the chamber, plan to put forward the American Security Robotics Act, which would prohibit the federal government from buying or using ​unmanned ground vehicles made by adversaries such as China and bar the use ​of federal funds in connection with the robots.

The bill comes as Chinese ⁠firms compete with U.S. firms such as Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab to deliver humanoid robots that can stand ​in for humans for tasks as varied as dangerous manufacturing work and household chores. ​At least two Chinese firms - Agibot and Unitree - are preparing to list shares in China this year as their products capture attention there.
In statements on Thursday, the lawmakers argued that such robots present ​a national security risk because they could be used to gather data to send ​back to China or could be remotely controlled from China. A group of lawmakers last year urged ‌the ⁠Pentagon to add Unitree to a list of firms that work with China's military.

Schumer said Chinese firms with support from the Chinese Communist Party "are running their standard playbook - this time ​in robotics - trying to ​flood the U.S. ⁠market with their technology, which presents real security risks and threats to Americans' privacy and American research and industry."

"We ​must continue to promote and propel America's robotics superiority while safeguarding our privacy and national security from adversaries," ​Stefanik said in a statement.
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The US has repeatedly given up areas of manufacturing of technical products to others: Copiers, cameras, fax machines, wrist watches, PC's, consumer routers and the list goes on. That said, those foreign products were not only cheaper, but in some cases, superior to those we made. China has been building a broader array of robots for a longer time than the US. It is reasonable, given the comparative number of engineers in both countries that they will continue to lead, both in capability and price. As in EV's will we be cutting off our nose to spite our face? There are certainly security concerns which should be addressed, but there are also macroeconomic concerns if other countries can access better/cheaper equipment than we can.

Jeff