Meta Develops Humanoid Robot with Chinese Firm

Meta and the Chinese robotics company Fourier have created a humanoid robot prototype called Max, according to The Information. The project was reported by Jyoti Mann, citing individuals familiar with the work.

Max stands approximately 1.5 meters tall and is equipped with a screen that mimics facial expressions, built-in speakers, and five-fingered hands capable of picking up small objects. The robot runs on Nvidia’s Jetson Thor chip.

Meta’s robotics team traveled to China to collaborate with Fourier, with Li-Chen Miller, Meta’s vice president of product for robotics, spending nearly two months at Fourier’s Shanghai factory. Max was later demonstrated to internal staff at a robotics summit in late August.

Development of Max 2 began in September, with plans to include a new torso, improved hands, a projector, and additional sensors to enhance its ability to navigate stairs. The project remains in the experimental phase, and Meta told The Information that it has no plans to sell the units.

Meta sees humanoids as a physical form for Muse, its AI agent, and hopes they can do household tasks. Nvidia, whose chip runs Max, agreed this week to invest $3bn in Meta and expand their work on Muse.

Fourier, based in Shanghai, recently unveiled GR-3, a 165cm humanoid called a ‘care-bot’ aimed at serving as a companion, particularly for older adults. Meta has not set a launch date for a humanoid product.