Matic becomes the first American home robot company cleared from the FCC’s national-security robot list
The vacuum-and-mop robot maker’s devices passed a U.S. national-security review, a first for an American home robotics company as Washington tightens rules on foreign connected devices.
Mountain View startup Matic said its Robotic Floor Cleaner (Model 4MA0001) and Charging Dock (Model 4DK0008) have received Conditional Approval from the U.S. Department of War. The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau then exempted both devices from the agency’s Covered List on October 2, in a public notice numbered DA 26-1063. The company announced the decision on October 6 via Business Wire.
The exemption matters because of what the Covered List is. In July, the FCC put foreign-produced advanced robotic devices on the list — a designation for equipment deemed an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security. Devices on it cannot receive new FCC equipment authorizations. Manufacturers can petition the Department of War for a review, and devices that win Conditional Approval are carved out. Matic says it is the first home robot company — and the first American robotics company — to clear the process, joining only Husqvarna and ANSCER Robotics among robotics firms approved to date.
The company used the announcement to press its privacy pitch. Co-founder and CEO Navneet Dalal said in the announcement that “a robot with cameras moving through your home has to earn a level of trust that most consumer electronics never face,” adding that the company designed Matic so everything it sees stays on the device. Co-founder Mehul Nariyawala said families ask two questions — whether the robot is smart enough to clean without getting stuck, and whether it protects privacy — and that the FCC clearance gives an answer “beyond our word.”
The technical and supply-chain details are the company’s own claims: Matic says it sources critical components from U.S. companies where possible — including its core compute platform from NVIDIA — assembles every unit in the United States, runs its entire perception system on the robot itself so maps, video and audio never leave the home, and does not require an internet connection. The five-camera vision system maps homes in 3D; Dalal and Nariyawala previously worked on Google’s Nest camera and doorbell products and the Flutter gesture project acquired by Google. As with other exemptions, Matic’s is tied to its onshoring plan and ongoing product vetting, the company said.