Meta Built a 105-Pound Humanoid Robot Prototype With China's Fourier, Report Says

The robot is known internally as Max. Based on The Information's reporting, Interesting Engineering said it was built in about three months, weighs 105 pounds (48 kilograms) and is about 1.5 metres tall. It reportedly runs on Nvidia's Jetson Thor computing platform. It has five-fingered hands designed to pick up small objects such as bottles and toys, along with a face that can show expressions and speakers built into its chest.

Max uses customised hardware based on Fourier's existing robots rather than a lightly modified version of one model. According to the reports, Meta changed the body proportions, head, display and camera layout. Meta's design targets include recognising spoken commands from about 5 metres away, reading gestures such as a wave from about 3 metres, keeping eye contact, and signalling whether it is listening, processing, speaking or unsure. These are goals, not capabilities that have been shown in public.

Work on a second version, Max 2, began in September, according to The Information. Planned changes include a redesigned torso, better hands, a built-in projector and extra sensors to help it climb stairs and understand its surroundings.

No Product Yet

Meta has not announced a commercial robot, a launch date or a production budget. A company spokesperson told The Information that Meta has no plans to sell the robots developed through the collaboration. Interesting Engineering described the partnership as limited to internal research and experimentation. The household-chores idea in some headlines comes from earlier reporting that Meta set up a hardware team with the long-term aim of doing chores. The new reports do not describe Max completing any chores.

Why It Matters

The prototype is part of a wider robotics push at Meta. The company has acquired Assured Robot Intelligence, a robot learning and AI company, and is recruiting robotics engineers in Shanghai and Shenzhen to develop prototypes and possibly manufacture at scale, Interesting Engineering reported. Meta chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth has reportedly discussed humanoids internally as a physical form for Meta's Muse AI agent.

Working with a Chinese hardware partner stands out at a time when US technology and trade policy towards China is tightening. It also shows how much of the humanoid supply chain sits in China, where companies such as Fourier have developed several generations of humanoid platforms. For investors, Max adds another long-term bet to Meta's already heavy AI spending, alongside its models, data centres and smart glasses. It also puts Meta in the same race as Tesla, Figure and other companies chasing general-purpose robots for homes and workplaces.

The details so far come from secondhand reporting, and Meta has not publicly confirmed the specifications.