Sony
aibo ERS-1000
Can the Sony aibo ERS-1000 be imported and sold in the United States?
Authorized before the cutoff
Foreign produced and over the 4.4 lb (2 kg) line including any dock or charging base. The FCC test is conjunctive, so it also has to carry environmental sensors, network connectivity of at least 200 kbps and autonomous navigation or remote-control software, which this class of machine normally does. Where all five elements are met, no NEW model can be authorized. An authorization already granted stands, and units of an already-authorized model may still be produced, imported and sold. Weight on record: 4.85 lb, and the threshold counts the dock.
The record
- Board verdict
- Inside the definition
- Origin
- Japan
- Class
- Small and desktop
- Availability and tier
- Professional tier
- Weight on record
- 4.85 lb
The maker publishes a weight and we have read it against the 4.4 lb line. We have run no FCC grant search on this tier, because a device the covered device definition does not reach needs no grandfathered authorization. We confirm the weight, including any dock or charging base, against a supplier spec sheet before quoting.
The one genuine problem in this category. It meets every element: foreign produced, 4.85 lb, environmental sensors, Wi-Fi, autonomous navigation. Its pre-cutoff authorization holds, so the model stays lawful to import and sell. Supply is finite because Sony halted Japan sales in mid 2026 and is winding the generation down, not because of anything the FCC did.
Who can buy it, and with what money
Two different gates. Whether a platform may be sold at all is set by FCC authorization and binds everyone. Whether a particular buyer may spend a particular kind of money on it is set by procurement law and binds public money only. The same machine can pass one and fail the other.
Foreign produced and over the 4.4 lb (2 kg) line including any dock or charging base. The FCC test is conjunctive, so it also has to carry environmental sensors, network connectivity of at least 200 kbps and autonomous navigation or remote-control software, which this class of machine normally does. Where all five elements are met, no NEW model can be authorized. An authorization already granted stands, and units of an already-authorized model may still be produced, imported and sold. Weight on record: 4.85 lb, and the threshold counts the dock.
Foreign produced and over the 4.4 lb (2 kg) line including any dock or charging base. The FCC test is conjunctive, so it also has to carry environmental sensors, network connectivity of at least 200 kbps and autonomous navigation or remote-control software, which this class of machine normally does. Where all five elements are met, no NEW model can be authorized. An authorization already granted stands, and units of an already-authorized model may still be produced, imported and sold. Weight on record: 4.85 lb, and the threshold counts the dock.
Foreign produced and over the 4.4 lb (2 kg) line including any dock or charging base. The FCC test is conjunctive, so it also has to carry environmental sensors, network connectivity of at least 200 kbps and autonomous navigation or remote-control software, which this class of machine normally does. Where all five elements are met, no NEW model can be authorized. An authorization already granted stands, and units of an already-authorized model may still be produced, imported and sold. Weight on record: 4.85 lb, and the threshold counts the dock.
Foreign produced and over the 4.4 lb (2 kg) line including any dock or charging base. The FCC test is conjunctive, so it also has to carry environmental sensors, network connectivity of at least 200 kbps and autonomous navigation or remote-control software, which this class of machine normally does. Where all five elements are met, no NEW model can be authorized. An authorization already granted stands, and units of an already-authorized model may still be produced, imported and sold. Weight on record: 4.85 lb, and the threshold counts the dock.
The ground robot rule is conjunctive, and weight is one of its five elements. Miss any one of them and the rule does not reach the device at all. Almost every desktop, companion and kit robot sits under 4.4 lb including its dock or charging base, which puts it outside the definition whatever the other four elements say. Weight is therefore the fact that usually decides this tier, and where it is unpublished we confirm it against a supplier spec sheet before quoting.
The entry tier→Other small and desktop platforms on the board
All 83 platforms →Sony and aibo ERS-1000 belong to their maker. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorized dealer for them unless a separate agreement says so in writing. Nothing on this page is legal advice. Status reflects public records on the compiled date and can change, including by revocation of a grant that was valid the week before. Confirm the record yourself before you rely on it.