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# Meta built a humanoid robot called Max with China's Fourier, report says
- URL: https://www.skimwire.com/meta-humanoid-robot-max-fourier/
- Published: 2026-11-01T13:41:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-01T13:41:28.000Z
- Description: The Information says Meta and Fourier built Max in about three months and started Max 2 in September. Meta says it has no plans to sell them.
- Author: Skimwire Staff
- Tags: AI

## The skim

- Meta built a prototype humanoid robot called Max with Chinese robotics company Fourier in about three months, The Information reports, and a second version is already in the works.
- Max reportedly stands about 1.5 meters (4 ft 11 in) tall, weighs about 48 kg (106 lb), runs on Nvidia's Jetson Thor chip and has five-fingered hands and a screen for a face.
- Meta says the Fourier work is internal research and it has "no plans to sell these units." There's no product or launch date.

## What happened

Meta's home-robot ambitions now have a body. The company built a humanoid prototype with Shanghai-based Fourier and is working on a follow-up, The Information's Jyoti Mann reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the project. [Reuters](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/meta-builds-humanoid-robot-chinese-startup-fourier-information-says-6509811?ref=skimwire.com) carried the report but said it could not immediately verify it.

Inside Meta the robot is called Max. According to the report, as summarized by [The Next Web](https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-humanoid-robot-fourier-max?ref=skimwire.com) and [Humanoids Daily](https://www.humanoidsdaily.com/news/meta-fourier-max-humanoid-prototype?ref=skimwire.com), it has five-fingered hands that can pick up small objects, built-in speakers and a display that shows facial expressions. Li-Chen Miller, Meta's vice president of product for robotics, spent almost two months at Fourier's Shanghai factory, and Meta showed Max to some staff at an internal robotics summit in late August.

Work on Max 2 started in September. It's due to get a redesigned torso, better hands, a projector and extra sensors to help it handle stairs. Meta's design requirements reportedly include recognizing a voice from five meters away, reading a wave from three meters and signaling when the robot is listening, thinking or speaking.

## Why it matters

Meta has talked about robots for a while; this is the first detailed look at actual hardware. The Information reports that CTO Andrew Bosworth has described humanoids internally as a physical embodiment of Muse, Meta's consumer AI agent. That fits Meta's pattern of chasing every surface where people might talk to its AI: apps, glasses, headsets and now, maybe, a robot in your living room.

The chip choice is notable too. Max runs on Nvidia's Jetson Thor, and Nvidia agreed last week to [invest $3 billion in Meta](https://www.skimwire.com/meta-prices-stock-sale-625-nvidia-3-billion/) as part of a broader partnership. And partnering with a Chinese hardware maker is a shortcut: Fourier already ships humanoids, including its GR-3 "Care-bot" companion robot unveiled in 2025, so Meta didn't have to build a body from scratch.

## Who's in the race

Meta is late to a crowded field. Tesla is building its Optimus robots, Agility's Digit 5 will run on Nvidia hardware, and China's Unitree is working on AI that lets its robots improve themselves, The Next Web notes. Meta has been building up for this: in May it bought Assured Robot Intelligence, a startup focused on AI that helps robots learn.

## What's next

Don't expect to buy a Max. A Meta spokesperson told The Information that "this effort with Fourier is focused on internal research and experimentation, and we have no plans to sell these units." The report identifies no launch date for any Meta humanoid. The real signals to watch are Meta's robotics hiring, which The Information says now spans prototype work and preparation for manufacturing at scale, and whether Max 2 shows up outside Meta's own walls.

*Sources: The Information (paywalled), via* [*Reuters*](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/meta-builds-humanoid-robot-chinese-startup-fourier-information-says-6509811?ref=skimwire.com)*,* [*The Next Web*](https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-humanoid-robot-fourier-max?ref=skimwire.com) *and* [*Humanoids Daily*](https://www.humanoidsdaily.com/news/meta-fourier-max-humanoid-prototype?ref=skimwire.com)*.*