Meta Reportedly Built Max, a Home-Helper Humanoid Robot

Meta has reportedly developed a humanoid robot prototype designed to help out in people's homes, as part of its broader push into robotics. According to the report's sources, the robot, known internally by the codename 'Max', came together in roughly three months with the help of Chinese robotics company Fourier.

The report says there is no product to be released yet, and no launch date has been set for a version intended for mass production. Even so, Meta is said to have kept going beyond the first prototype and has been working on a second version since September. All of the details rest on the report's anonymous sources, and no statement from Meta on the matter has been cited.

Max's hardware and dimensions

Per the report's sources, Max weighs about 106 pounds (roughly 48 kilograms) and stands about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall. That makes it noticeably smaller than an average adult.

The robot is said to have a display on its exterior capable of showing facial expressions, a built-in speaker, and hands designed to grasp small objects. For a robot meant to assist around the house, those three elements cover both interaction and object handling.

Inside, Nvidia's Jetson Thor chips are reportedly used to power the machine. The Jetson family is among the hardware Nvidia develops for robotics and edge computing applications.

What Max 2 is expected to change

According to the report, Meta has been working on a second prototype, codenamed Max 2, since September. In other words, development has continued since the first robot took shape, and the company appears to have moved into a new design phase.

The new version reportedly includes updates to the body and hand design. A projector and additional sensors are also being added to Max 2, with the sensors said to be intended to help the robot handle stairs better.

No release date has been set for a version intended for mass production, so it remains unclear when Max or its successor might reach consumers.

Meta's path in robotics so far

Meta's humanoid robot effort is not new. Last year, a report said the company had set up a new team to develop robot hardware, with the ultimate goal of robots that can do household chores. Earlier this year, Meta followed that by acquiring a startup known for building AI for robots.

Together, these steps suggest Meta is working on both the hardware and the AI sides of robotics. When and in what form a product might reach users is still unknown, and since everything about Max comes from the report, details could change over time.