Ati Robotics' Sherpa Mecha Humanoid, Sherpa 10K Tugger and Sherpa Flexfork Cleared for Continued U.S. Sale Following National Security Review

Conditional approval exempts five Ati Robotics platforms from the FCC Covered List; Sherpa Mecha is one of only two humanoid robots cleared to date

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich., Nov. 6, 2026 — Ati Robotics today announced that its Sherpa Mecha industrial humanoid, Sherpa 10K tugger and Sherpa FlexFork autonomous forklifts have received conditional approval from the U.S. Department of War, exempting them from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Covered List. As of October 30, 2026, Sherpa Mecha is one of only two humanoid robots cleared and the only one built for factory work.

The FCC published the approval on October 30, 2026 (DA 26-1181) under the company's U.S. legal name, ATI Motors, Inc. It covers five platforms: Sherpa Mecha, Sherpa 10K, Sherpa 3K, Sherpa FlexFork 1500 and Sherpa FlexFork 3000. All five remain eligible for the FCC equipment authorization required for distribution in the United States.

What the Approval Covers

Sherpa Mecha is a dual-arm mobile manipulator that navigates the plant floor, retrieves bins and handles parts in a single continuous workflow. Ati's flagship Sherpa 10K moves up to 10,000 lb of material between lines, docks and warehouses, while Sherpa FlexFork autonomously transports pallets and carts. All three platforms are coordinated through Ati Flow, the company's material orchestration software.

Why It Matters

Since July 28, 2026, foreign-produced advanced robotic devices have been placed on the Covered List unless cleared through a national security review. As a result, U.S. manufacturers and distributors are increasingly scrutinizing where their automation is built, who owns the underlying software and who supports it. Ati Robotics develops its own autonomous and fleet-management software systems. The approval further provides customers with the confidence when purchasing both its humanoid and AMR lines.

"Ati Robotics has always prioritized building the robots ground up and having deep control over the components. We were already working on our plans to make these robots in the US and had taken a larger site in Michigan earlier this year. The FCC action simply reinforces our belief that autonomous robots are strategic technology and must be treated as such by enterprises."
— Saurabh Chandra, Founder and CEO, Ati Robotics 

"This year, our U.S. customers kept asking a common question before payload or price: 'will this robot be cleared to ship and be serviced long term'? For Mecha, the Sherpa 10K and FlexFork, this approval confirms this clarity. Our customers will continue to partner with Ati Robotics for their automation needs – with more confidence than ever."
— Siddharth Bhagra, Vice President of Sales, Ati Robotics 

Ati's robotic portfolio maintain a 99% mission success rate in daily production, with an average deployment time of four weeks or less. U.S. customers retain full access to deployment support, service and spare parts, backed by the company's U.S. headquarters in Madison Heights, Michigan.

The FCC notice is available at docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-1181A1.pdf.

SOURCE Ati Robotics