Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Meta has made a robot. The robot looks like a person. It has two arms and two legs. This kind of robot is called a humanoid.
A news site called The Information shared the story on Saturday. Meta built the robot with a company from China. The company is called Fourier.
Meta is now working on a second robot. It will be the next version.
Meta has not made a big announcement yet. So this story comes from people who know about the project.
- robot
- A machine that can do jobs by itself.
- humanoid
- A robot with a body shape like a person.
- company
- A business that sells things or services.
- prototype
- The first model of a new machine.
- version
- A form of something that is a little different.
- project
- A big piece of planned work.
- announcement
- Public news from a company.
- arm
- A part of the body between the shoulder and the hand.
Level 2 — Elementary
Meta has built a prototype humanoid robot with the Chinese start-up Fourier, according to a report on Saturday by the technology news site The Information. Reuters repeated the report, which cited people familiar with the project.
The report says Meta is now working on a second version of the robot. Meta itself has not confirmed these details. A humanoid is a robot built with a body shape like a person, so that it can work in places made for people.
Fourier is based in Shanghai. It began in rehabilitation robots and launched its first humanoid, the GR-1, in 2023. The latest model, the GR-3, came out in August 2025.
Earlier reports said Meta did not plan to sell its own humanoid at once. Instead, it wanted to build the artificial intelligence, sensors and software that other companies' robots could use.
- prototype
- A first working model of a new machine.
- start-up
- A new young company.
- humanoid
- A robot with a body shape like a person.
- confirm
- To say that something is true.
- rehabilitation
- Treatment that helps people recover movement after injury.
- launch
- To start selling a new product.
- sensor
- A device that detects light, touch or movement.
- software
- Programs that tell a computer what to do.
Level 3 — Intermediate
Meta has built a prototype humanoid robot in partnership with the Chinese start-up Fourier and is developing a second version, The Information reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the initiative. The report was relayed by Reuters. It is a secondhand account rather than a company announcement, and Meta has not confirmed it.
If accurate, it would mark a more hands-on step for a company that has so far talked about robotics mainly as a platform. Bloomberg reported earlier that Meta did not intend to launch its own branded humanoid straight away. Its plan, as described then, was to develop the AI, sensors and software that could power robots made by other companies.
Fourier is a Shanghai-based firm that started in rehabilitation robotics before moving into general-purpose humanoids. Its GR-1 went on sale in 2023, and the series has since evolved through three generations, the latest being the GR-3, released in August 2025.
The pairing is notable for its geography as much as its technology. A United States social media giant working with a Chinese robot maker raises questions about supply chains, data and politics that neither side has so far addressed publicly.
- initiative
- A new plan or project meant to solve a problem or reach a goal.
- relayed
- Passed on from one source to another.
- secondhand
- Learned from someone else, not directly.
- platform
- A base of technology on which other products are built.
- branded
- Sold under a company's own name.
- general-purpose
- Designed for many uses rather than one.
- generation
- One stage in the development of a product.
- supply chain
- The network of firms that make and deliver a product.
Level 4 — Advanced
Meta has built a prototype humanoid robot with the Chinese start-up Fourier and is working on a second iteration, The Information reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the initiative; the report was carried by Reuters. It is an unconfirmed secondhand account, not a corporate disclosure, and should be read with that caveat.
If it holds, it would add substance to a robotics strategy that had been expressed mostly in the language of platforms. Bloomberg reported earlier that Meta had no immediate intention of marketing a humanoid under its own name, preferring to develop the artificial intelligence, sensors and software that other manufacturers' machines would run on. A working prototype implies at least some appetite for owning the hardware conversation too.
Fourier's lineage is instructive. The Shanghai-based company began in rehabilitation robotics, a field that demands precision and safe contact with human bodies, before moving into general-purpose humanoids. Its GR-1 reached the market in 2023 and the series has since passed through three generations, the most recent, the GR-3, released in August 2025.
What stands out is the geopolitics embedded in the engineering. An American social media group collaborating with a Chinese robotics maker invites scrutiny of supply chains, intellectual property and data governance, none of which either party has publicly addressed. The robots may be learning to walk; the diplomacy around them is still finding its feet.
- iteration
- A new version of something that has been through earlier versions.
- disclosure
- The act of officially making information known.
- appetite
- A strong desire or interest.
- lineage
- A line of descent or origins.
- precision
- Exactness and accuracy.
- embedded
- Fixed firmly inside something else.
- scrutiny
- Close and careful examination.
- governance
- The way rules and control are organised.
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