RoboStore pivots to domestic robot production amid US ban on Chinese imports

When the Federal Communications Commission banned imports of advanced foreign-made robots on July 29, 2026, RoboStore’s entire business model stopped working overnight. The company had built its reputation as the go-to North American distributor for Chinese robotics firm Unitree Robotics, supplying robot dogs and humanoid machines to some of the most recognizable names in American research and tech. Harvard, MIT, Amazon, and Nvidia were all customers. Then the supply chain vanished. Rather than wind down, RoboStore CEO Teddy Haggerty announced a full pivot: the company is transitioning into a domestic manufacturer under a new entity called Robo Inc., with a 66,000-square-foot production facility in Plainview, Long Island. The target is to be fully operational by Q1 2027. How a distributor becomes a manufacturer The FCC’s action in late July wasn’t a bolt from the blue. It followed recommendations from a White House-convened interagency body that had been scrutinizing foreign-made robotics on national security grounds. The core concern: data transmission risks embedded in robots operating inside American universities, research labs, and corporate campuses. The Pentagon had separatel...