On Oct. 31, The Information reported that Meta built a humanoid robot prototype internally called Max with Shanghai-based Fourier in about three months, and began work on a second version, Max 2, in September. The report says Max is about 1.5 meters tall, weighs roughly 106 pounds, runs on Nvidia's Jetson Thor chip, has five-fingered hands and a facial-expression screen, and is for internal research rather than sale. Meta told The Information the work is for research and there are no sales plans. Reuters carried the partnership report but said it could not verify it. Neither Meta nor Fourier has published official specs, images, or a launch date for Max.
Meta reportedly sees humanoids as a physical body for its Muse AI agent and wants to accelerate home-robotics work by using Fourier's manufacturing and hardware expertise. Nvidia, whose chip reportedly runs Max, also agreed this week to invest $3 billion in Meta and expand work on Muse, according to [thenextweb.com](https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-humanoid-robot-fourier-max). The project also lands amid US-China trade tension over robot imports.
The Meta/Fourier story is real reporting: The Information reported Oct. 31 that Meta built a humanoid prototype called Max with Shanghai-based Fourier and is working on Max 2. Reuters carried the partnership report but said it could not verify it. The White House also said this week that robot imports threaten national security and ordered talks rather than immediate tariffs. This is an opinion/list-style post about possible “robotics product of the year” candidates, not a checkable factual claim.
CMeta reportedly built a humanoid robot in about three months. It's called Max.
MMeta? The company that killed off its robot projects twice?
CApparently they changed their mind. A humanoid-robot news account on X flagged it. The Information says it came together fast with a Shanghai firm called Fourier.
MSo the company that abandoned its own hardware is now buying robot bodies from China?
CThat's the part everyone's chewing on. Internal research, not for sale. But the reported details are wild: about five feet tall, 106 pounds, five-fingered hands, a screen for facial expressions.
MA very small research assistant that can smile at you while it does nothing.
CMore or less. Meta says it's a physical body for their Muse AI agent. Teaching software to move around a kitchen.
MI'd love to know if it can actually move. Reuters couldn't verify the partnership report.
CCorrect. Single paywalled report. No official specs, no images, no launch date.
MSo what we have is a rumor with a codename.
CA rumor from The Information, which is usually right about Zuckerberg.
MUsually right isn't official specs. "Max 2 started in September" — we can't even confirm Max 1 exists.
CFine, but my actual take: using Fourier is the smart part. They build robots, Meta builds AI. Skip the three years of reinventing the body.
MThe body is the part that goes in your house. Washington just said robot imports threaten national security.
CNo, the White House ordered talks, not tariffs. It's not a ban.
MYet. It's strange timing to reveal your Chinese hardware partner—
CThe government isn't their customer! This is a lab body, not a product they're selling in Ohio.
MMy point stands: when your own government is debating Chinese robots, showcasing that dependence is a risk.
CAnd sitting out humanoids because of geopolitics is a bigger risk. Every big AI lab wants a body. Nvidia's reportedly putting three billion dollars into Meta around the same Muse work.
MThree billion buys a lot of patience for a rumor.
CThe direction is real. That's enough for me to take this seriously.
MI take it seriously too — as intent. Not as a robot you can buy. We can agree on that.
CGrudgingly.
MSpeaking of that US-China gap — an X account called Krosh posted a video, American robot first, then a Chinese one, both moving smoothly.
CAnd the point was?
MKrosh's line: "the gap isn't in the movement. It's in the numbers." Cites research firm Omdia putting it around thirteen thousand.
CThirteen thousand what?
MThe post cuts off right there. Thirteen thousand units? Dollars? Engineers? Nobody can check it.
CSo the number is doing all the heavy lifting.
MExactly. Strip out that number and the post has nothing left.
CBut the scale gap itself is real. China runs factories producing robots by the thousands. That's not a rumor.
MThen say that. Don't hide behind the mystery figure.
CFine. I'll write the essay, you check the footnotes.
MQuick one to settle it: an account called Cosign on X is crowd-sourcing the robotics product of the year. Figure 03, Digit 5, a home robot called Matic.
CMatic's a home robot that handles chores, right? I respect a robot with a job.
MMy pick is Digit 5 from Agility Robotics. It actually works in warehouses, loading totes. No demo, no concept.
CGive me Figure 03. If hands are the hard part, they're one of the few solving it.
MCareful, you're picking a robot that can't fetch you a coffee yet.
CProduct of the year should be the one that finishes a chore in my kitchen. I'll accept applications.
MThe winner is whichever one actually exists.
CAnd that's your robotics product of the year: actual existence.