RoboStore, the primary U.S. distributor for Unitree Robotics and one of the largest importers of humanoid and quadruped robots in North America, has publicly launched Robo Inc., a U.S.-based robotics manufacturing and systems integration company. The spinout draws on RoboStore’s experience deploying more than 1,500 humanoid and quadruped robots and serving 4,500 customers across North America, including Harvard, MIT, Amazon, and NVIDIA.
Robo Inc. has been operating in stealth for a year. It plans to open a 66,000 square-foot production facility on Long Island in New York, expected to be fully operational by Q1 2027.
The Trade Restriction Context
The launch is explicitly framed around the shifting regulatory environment for foreign-made robots in the United States. The FCC’s addition of new foreign-produced advanced robotic devices to its Covered List, the Trump administration’s July 28 import ban on new robots citing national security concerns, and the National Defence Authorisation Act provision restricting Pentagon procurement of humanoid systems from foreign adversaries have collectively created significant uncertainty for distributors whose business model depends on importing Chinese-manufactured robots.
Robo Inc.’s structure – U.S.-based engineering, software, integration, production, testing, and support, combined with global supply chains for components – mirrors the approach Western companies have long used to establish local subsidiaries in China to maintain market access. The Robot Report explicitly noted this parallel: foreign businesses are launching U.S. spinoffs to preserve access to the American market under growing trade restrictions.
“With U.S.-based assembly, localized data infrastructure, and domestic integration, Robo Inc. will create a robotics platform built for American compliance,” said Teddy Haggerty, founder and CEO of both companies.
Hardware-Agnostic and Application-Specific
Robo Inc. is positioning itself as a hardware-agnostic integrator rather than a robot manufacturer committed to specific platforms. The company will select components and robot hardware based on the requirements of each application, drawing on relationships across the global robotics supply chain. This approach allows it to source the most capable or compliant hardware for each use case rather than being constrained to a single manufacturer’s platform.
The company has explicitly framed its value proposition around current deployability rather than long-term promises. “Customers want solutions that can be deployed now, built around a specific job and supported over time,” said Haggerty. “We’re moving beyond selling robots to building a localized ecosystem that allows U.S. organizations to put robotics to work responsibly and at scale.”
Security and compliance are built into Robo Inc.’s integration process from the outset, with reviews of data flows, network access, software controls, operating environments, and application-specific risks – a response to cybersecurity concerns that have been raised about Chinese-manufactured robots operating in U.S. facilities.
RoboStore will continue supporting its installed base of robots, including parts, repairs, and upgrades, under the Robo Inc. umbrella. The Roboverse developer community, which has more than 4,000 members, will also continue operating under the new structure.
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