Meta is taking a major step into the physical hardware space by building a brand new machine designed to help you around the house. In a recent collaboration with the Chinese robotics startup Fourier, the social media company successfully developed a working humanoid robot prototype. This internal project marks a significant shift as the tech organization explores bringing physical helpers into everyday consumer homes to assist with basic daily tasks.
The next version will feature a projector and better sensors
The new hardware, internally codenamed Max, was put together in just about three months. The physical build stands at approximately five feet tall and weighs roughly 106 pounds. To make the machine more approachable for a home environment, the designers included a display that can show different human facial expressions. It also features a built in chest speaker for communication and five fingered hands that are capable of gently picking up small items from tables or floors.
To handle all the complex processing power required for these physical tasks, the development team decided to use Jetson Thor chips supplied by NVIDIA. These powerful processors give the machine the ability to process its surroundings and navigate through standard domestic spaces without bumping into furniture. The tech giant started its major push into this space last year by putting together a dedicated team focused on consumer robotics. They even bought an artificial intelligence startup earlier this year to speed up the software side of the operation and improve how the machine thinks.
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While the first unit is already fully assembled and testing, there is no public launch date set for a mass market release just yet. The engineering team is not slowing down, as they have already been working on a second prototype since September. This upcoming model, codenamed Max 2, will bring some notable physical updates to the torso and the hands to improve its range of motion. The engineers are also planning to add a built in projector and extra physical sensors so the machine can safely handle walking up and down stairs without falling over.
The leap from building digital software to creating a walking metal assistant shows just how serious the firm is about the future of home automation. Designing a reliable physical machine that can safely navigate a messy living room and handle fragile household items is a massive engineering challenge. However, this quick progress shows that smart home helpers might actually become a reality for everyday consumers much sooner than anyone expected.
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