According to people familiar with the matter, social media giant Meta is aggressively pursuing home robotics development and has collaborated with Chinese robotics firm Fourier to develop a humanoid robot prototype, with work on a second-generation model already underway.
Meta and Fourier jointly built the humanoid robot, internally codenamed Max, which weighs approximately 106 pounds (about 48 kilograms) and was completed in just three months. One person familiar with the matter said the project's goal is to help Meta's robotics division refine a mature product that could potentially be released to the public in the future, though no official launch timeline has been set. Although still in its early stages, this prototype represents the most substantial progress in Meta's robotics strategy since the company recruited the former CEO of General Motors' autonomous driving subsidiary Cruise to lead its robotics business.
Meta is also building out its robotics software capabilities, having acquired a robotics AI startup that develops AI models used to train robots to understand human behavior and adapt to different environments. With the launch of the consumer-facing AI agent Muse, Meta's need to develop consumer-grade robots capable of assisting with household chores and daily tasks has become increasingly urgent. People familiar with the matter said Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth has internally described the humanoid robot as the physical embodiment of Muse.
To develop Max, Meta's team traveled to China and worked closely with Fourier. Two people familiar with the matter said Li-Chen Miller, Meta's Vice President of Robotics Product, was stationed at Fourier's factory in Shanghai for nearly two months, collaborating on the prototype's development. At the end of August, during Meta's internal robotics summit, the team demonstrated Max on-site, showcasing the results to some employees.
This collaboration comes as the Trump administration intensifies scrutiny of China's robotics sector, which dominates global production capacity, with Washington growing concerned that American companies' reliance on Chinese manufacturers for component procurement could pose national security risks. In July, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned imports of new Chinese humanoid robots, citing supply chain and cybersecurity risks. Under current FCC import rules, companies may import up to 4,000 units for testing or product development purposes, provided these devices are not put on the market for sale. This exemption allowed Meta and other U.S. companies to bring in prototypes from China for research and development.
However, in August the FCC proposed new rules that would reduce the exemption threshold to just 40 units for controlled categories, unless companies submit written applications to the FCC and receive approval to import more. If implemented, it would become harder for Meta and other companies to bring prototypes to the U.S. for testing in batches, and to reliably procure components for manufacturing robots intended for sale. A Meta spokesperson said, "We face the same reality as other companies in the industry when it comes to sourcing components that are not easily available domestically. However, our collaboration with Fourier is limited to internal research and experimentation, and we have no plans to sell these devices externally."
Competition in the humanoid robot sector is white-hot. If Meta ultimately sells humanoid robots to consumers, it will face intense competition: Chinese manufacturers have already achieved large-scale humanoid robot production; Elon Musk has bet Tesla's future on the humanoid robot Optimus, which is now in its third generation; and well-known startups such as Figure and 1X Technologies have been deeply engaged in humanoid robotics for years. Despite the high level of interest in humanoid robots, consumer market adoption remains in its early stages. Figure has begun testing robots in home environments, and 1X's NEO robot is already available for pre-order.
Meta's robotics division recently underwent management changes. Two people familiar with the matter said Marc Whitten, who joined from Cruise just 18 months ago, departed at the end of August, and Meta appointed Ning Li to temporarily oversee Meta's robotics studio. Li reports to Bosworth, who has taken over Whitten's former responsibilities and become deeply involved in the robotics studio's operations. Bosworth holds regular meetings with the team to track the division's technical and operational challenges.
Max stands approximately 1.5 meters tall (nearly 5 feet) and currently runs on Nvidia's Jetson Thor chip with a separate motion control software platform. It has two built-in speakers in its chest, and its facial eyes and mouth can simulate human expressions; its five-fingered mechanical hands can grasp small objects such as bottles and toys. This custom robot relies on Fourier's hardware and incorporates technological advancements from Fourier's first through third generations of robots. The two partners increased the prototype's height, adjusted its body proportions, redesigned the head, display screen and cameras, and added mechanical hands and foot structures.
Meta has set clear benchmarks for the robot's perception and interaction capabilities in home environments. Max's design specifications include: recognizing speech at a distance of 5 meters, recognizing gestures or waving motions at 3 meters, maintaining eye contact, and expressing different states such as "listening, thinking, speaking, and uncertain" through visual signals. People familiar with the matter said Meta and Fourier launched development of the second-generation Max 2 in September: redesigning the torso, optimizing the mechanical hands to improve manipulation capabilities, adding a projection module for displaying images, and adding sensors to enable stair climbing.
Meta is also expanding its team to prepare for future large-scale robot production. Job listings seen by The Information show that Meta is recruiting supplier development engineers in Shanghai to interface with product design and manufacturing, driving robots "from prototype to mass production." Two other job listings show that Meta is recruiting product design engineers and technical project managers for its robotics studio in Shenzhen, China, responsible for prototype development, project planning, and mass production implementation.
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