Why Meta Chose China’s Fourier to Build Its Humanoid Robot
Meta tapped Shanghai-based Fourier to help build Max, a five-foot-tall humanoid developed in about three months. A second version is already underway.
The deal highlights a startup that has moved from rehabilitation robotics into humanoids. Omdia ranked Fourier sixth globally in 2025 humanoid-robot shipments, and its investors include SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Aramco-backed Prosperity7 Ventures and IDG Capital.
A Body for Meta’s AI
In late August, Meta demonstrated Max to employees at an internal robotics summit. The 1.5-meter, 48-kilogram humanoid ran on Nvidia’s Jetson Thor, displayed facial expressions and grasped objects with five-fingered hands.
Meta and Fourier built the robot in about three months. Meta robotics product vice president Li-Chen Miller spent nearly two months at Fourier’s Shanghai factory.
The companies began work on Max 2 in September. Meta’s efforts with Fourier are for research and experimentation and are not currently intended for sale. Fourier later told The Paper that further information would be released through official channels.
The collaboration suggests Fourier brought more than a finished robot. It supplied an established hardware platform, engineers able to adapt it quickly and access to a mature robotics supply chain.
That combination helped Meta move from concept to demonstration in a short window.