There is no single “robot law.” A company that builds, imports, sells or deploys robots answers to a patchwork of product safety, workplace safety, communications, aviation, medical device, motor vehicle, trade and privacy rules, and the patchwork looks different in the United States and the European Union. Which rules apply depends on what the machine does, where it operates, who uses it, and where its parts were made.
The pages in this section explain the frameworks that come up most often in robotics and physical AI work. They are written for founders, product and compliance teams, general counsel, and the businesses that buy and operate robots.
United States
- FCC Equipment Authorization and the Covered List for Robots and Drones: why most connected robots need FCC authorization, and how the 2025 and 2026 Covered List actions restrict new foreign-produced drones, humanoids, quadrupeds and mobile robots.
- OSHA and Robot Safety: the General Duty Clause, machine guarding and lockout/tagout, and the ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025 and ISO 10218 consensus standards.
- FAA Drone Rules: Part 107, Remote ID, delivery operations, and the pending Part 108 rule for beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight.
- FDA Regulation of Surgical and Medical Robots: device classification, 510(k), De Novo and PMA pathways, quality system requirements, cybersecurity and AI-enabled device software.
- State Autonomous Vehicle and Delivery Robot Laws: how states regulate driverless vehicles and sidewalk delivery robots, and what federal rules sit above them.
- Export Controls for Robotics, Drones and Sensors: classification under the Export Administration Regulations, ITAR, deemed exports and restricted parties.
European Union
- The EU Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230: the new product safety regime for machinery, including robots and AI safety functions, which applies from January 20, 2027.
- The EU AI Act and Robots After the Digital Omnibus: what the 2026 amendments changed for AI built into machinery, and the dates that now apply.
- The New EU Product Liability Directive: strict liability for defective products that now covers software, AI and post-sale updates.
Related Resources
For a description of how we help robotics companies and the businesses that deploy robots, see our Physical AI practice page. Related pages include the EU AI Act, the EU Data Act, import/export and trade compliance, and state artificial intelligence laws.
These pages provide general information, not legal advice. Laws in this area change frequently. Reading these pages does not create an attorney-client relationship.