Meta's Max humanoid becomes a body for Muse, and Fourier gives its first response
From the Robots digest for Nov 2, 2026
Sources Wowtale citing The Information The Mac Observer Digital Trends Global Times NewsBytes KuCoin News
What happened: The prototype Meta built with China's Fourier has a stated purpose: Max is meant to serve as a body for Meta's Muse AI agent, and a second version is already in development (Wowtale citing The Information). Design detail comes with it — the machine has facial expressions and hands for picking up objects (The Mac Observer) — and the named current hurdle is climbing stairs, with any household launch described as far off even as Meta reportedly explores bringing Muse into homes (Digital Trends). Fourier, so far silent on the reported tie-up, has commented on the partnership in a statement to Global Times, whose coverage also canvasses expert arguments about US–China robotics complementarity.
What's genuinely new: the Muse-body purpose, the successor build (Max 2) with the stair-climbing hurdle named, the facial-expressions-and-hands design detail, and Fourier's first public comment. The codename, three-month build time and internal-research framing were already reported.
Watch: whether Meta itself confirms the program and what Fourier's statement says in full; how Max 2 develops; and how the reported reliance on a Chinese robotics partner sits with US restrictions on foreign-built robots.