SAN FRANCISCO, March 26 (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators on

Thursday planned to introduce a bill that would ban the

government from buying or operating humanoid robots made by

Chinese firms.

Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the third most-powerful Republican

in the Senate, and Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat

in the chamber, plan to put forward the American Security

Robotics Act, which would prohibit the federal government from

buying or using unmanned ground vehicles made by adversaries

such as China and bar the use of federal funds in connection

with the robots.

The bill comes as Chinese firms compete with U.S. firms such

as Tesla to deliver humanoid robots that can stand in

for humans for tasks as varied as dangerous manufacturing work

and household chores. At least two Chinese firms - Agibot and

Unitree - are preparing to list shares in China this year as

their products capture attention there.

In statements on Thursday, the lawmakers argued that such

robots present a national security risk because they could be

used to gather data to send back to China or could be remotely

controlled from China. A group of lawmakers last year urged the

Pentagon to add Unitree to a list of firms that work with

China's military.

"Robots made by Communist China threaten Arkansans' privacy

and our national security," Cotton said.

Schumer said Chinese firms with support from the Chinese

Communist Party "are running their standard playbook - this time

in robotics - trying to flood the U.S. market with their

technology, which presents real security risks and threats to

Americans' privacy and American research and industry."

The bill would contain exemptions for the U.S. military and

law enforcement agencies to research Chinese robots, as long as

the robots cannot transmit data to or receive data from China.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Representative Elise

Stefanik, a New York Republican, on Thursday planned to announce

a companion bill to the Senate version.

"We must continue to promote and propel America's robotics

superiority while safeguarding our privacy and national security

from adversaries," Stefanik said in a statement.