Meta went to Shanghai for its humanoid: prototype 'Max' built with China's Fourier in three months
What happened? Meta has built a prototype humanoid robot with Shanghai-based Fourier and is already working on a second version, The Information reported on 31 October 2026, citing people familiar with the project. The robot, known internally as Max, was built in roughly three months.
The robot: Max reportedly stands about 1.5 metres tall, weighs about 48kg and runs on Nvidia's Jetson Thor chip. It has a screen that mimics facial expressions, built-in speakers and five-fingered hands for picking up small objects. Meta's vice president of product for robotics, Li-Chen Miller, reportedly spent almost two months at Fourier's Shanghai factory, and Max was shown to some Meta staff at an internal robotics summit in late August. Work on Max 2 began in September, with a new torso, better hands, a projector and extra sensors to handle stairs. The report also describes robotics hiring in Shanghai and Shenzhen, including roles tied to preparing for manufacturing at scale.
Why it matters: Even one of the richest US tech companies went to China to get a humanoid built fast. Fourier, which started out in exoskeletons and rehabilitation robots, unveiled its GR-3 companion humanoid in 2025, and Meta reportedly sees humanoids as a physical form for Muse, its AI agent, aimed at household tasks. It fits the funding picture: according to Dealroom data, China-based companies took 63% of global humanoid robotics venture funding in 2026 to early October, against 12% for the US, as the sector heads for about $11 billion this year.
What could go wrong? Meta told The Information the work with Fourier is for internal research and experimentation and that it has no plans to sell the units. One of the sources said no launch date for a humanoid product has been set, and the report has not been independently confirmed by Meta beyond that statement.
Read more: The Information (Jyoti Mann) · Reuters via Investing.com · The Next Web · Humanoids Daily
Image: Fourier's GR-3 humanoid at its launch. Image credit: Fourier (via The Next Web)
