Meta Platforms Inc. has developed a prototype humanoid robot in collaboration with Chinese robotics startup Fourier and has already initiated development of an advanced second model, according to a report Saturday from The Information.

The partnership underscores the tech giant’s escalating ambitions to translate artificial intelligence (AI) into physical machinery capable of managing everyday domestic tasks.

Internally designated as “Max,” the preliminary prototype stands approximately 1.5 meters tall and weighs around 106 pounds. Powered by NVIDIA Corp.’s Jetson Thor computing platform, the unit features built-in speakers, five-fingered hands engineered for fine object manipulation, and an interactive display capable of rendering facial expressions. The machine was designed and assembled in roughly three months after Meta’s robotics team — spearheaded by vice president of product for robotics Li-Chen Miller — spent nearly two months embedded at Fourier’s factory in Shanghai.

Meta demonstrated the machine to select personnel during an internal robotics summit in late August before launching work on a successor, “Max 2,” in September. The upgraded iteration is slated to incorporate a redesigned torso, improved grasping mechanisms, a built-in projector, and additional sensory arrays configured for stair navigation.

Meta views humanoids as potential physical embodiments of its proprietary Muse AI assistant, buttressed by its May acquisition of Assured Robot Intelligence. However, company representatives clarified that the initiative remains strictly exploratory, with no current plans for retail commercialization.

Meta’s R&D breakthrough coincides with a significant rebound across the broader industrial automation sector. North American businesses purchased 10,989 industrial robots valued at $723.5 million during the third quarter, representing year-over-year gains of 24.8% in unit volume and 26.1% in overall expenditure, according to industry metrics published by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

The third-quarter figures reflect the highest quarterly procurement levels logged this year, bolstered by expanding capital investments in domestic manufacturing infrastructure. Alex Shikany, executive vice president at A3, highlighted that the expansion was notable not only for its volume but for its broad distribution across diverse operational sectors.

Procurement within the semiconductor and electronics vertical surged 97.6% compared to the prior-year period, while automotive component suppliers registered a 90.4% increase.

Automotive original equipment manufacturers rebounded with a 7.5% increase following steep declines earlier in the year. Life sciences and metals also registered double-digit growth, though food and consumer goods purchases contracted by 23.7%.

Industry analysts attribute much of the acceleration to federal reshoring incentives, notably funding deployed under the CHIPS and Science Act, as well as booming pharmaceutical manufacturing for GLP-1 weight-loss medications. Collaborative robots, designed to safely operate alongside human personnel, proved particularly popular, comprising 16.7% of all third-quarter units shipped.

While A3’s figures exclude humanoid and autonomous mobile systems, the parallel developments reveal an industrial base rapidly modernizing factory floors while Silicon Valley works to usher advanced robotic form factors into homes.