Meta reportedly built a humanoid robot in just three months, equipping it with five-fingered hands to handle small objects and an expressive face to communicate with people.
Work on the prototype, known as Max, is focused primarily on home robotics.
Here's what to know
According to Interesting Engineering, Meta developed Max alongside Chinese robotics company Fourier using customized hardware.
The outlet cited reporting by The Information, which described a platform drawing on components and engineering knowledge accumulated across three Fourier robot generations. Max reportedly runs on NVIDIA's Jetson Thor computing platform.
For audio output, it uses speakers mounted on its chest. Other design changes affect its camera arrangement and display, as well as its head and body proportions.
Bottles and toys are among the household objects its hands are designed to manipulate. Fourier also brings experience in close-contact robotics. Its GR-3 humanoid combines hearing, vision, and touch capabilities to support interactions with people.
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More background
The company's design targets call for the robot to recognize spoken commands from approximately 16 feet away and to identify gestures like a wave at roughly 10 feet. These capabilities could allow someone to get the robot's attention from across a room.
Meta also wants Max to hold a user's gaze during interactions, giving people a visible point of focus as they communicate with it.
The robot must also signal when it is listening, processing information, talking, or unsure how to proceed with a task. Making these states clearly visible could help people understand whether the machine has heard them or needs more direction.
What's being done?
September marked the start of work on a second prototype called Max 2, per The Information.
Planned additions include a projector, along with hand upgrades and a reworked torso. Additional sensors are intended to improve stair navigation and the robot's awareness of its environment.
Meta has also acquired Assured Robot Intelligence, a business focused on AI and robot learning. The acquisition could add expertise in systems that help robots interpret their environments and carry out physical tasks.
Meta chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth has internally discussed giving the company's Muse AI agent a physical form through humanoid robots.
The resulting robots are not intended for sale, a Meta spokesperson told The Information. The Fourier partnership focuses only on internal experiments and research, they said.
The Information also reported that Meta has been seeking robotics engineers in the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Shenzhen. Those roles involve work on prototypes and preparations for possible manufacturing at scale.
Where can I learn more?
Meta's work on Max involved familiar challenges for humanoid robots: handling objects and interacting with people.
• Tesla's Optimus robots remain mostly in testing as hand troubles limit progress.
• A new humanoid robot drops to its knees when warehouse workers get too close.
• In Denmark, humanoid robots are learning to restock shelves, but only after dark.
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