Meta Fourier Humanoid Robot: Built in 3 Months [2026]

The US Import Ban and the Policy Collision

The timing is the sharpest edge of this story. In late July 2026, ABC News and CNN reported that the Trump administration banned new humanoid and quadruped robot imports from foreign manufacturers, citing unacceptable national security risks. Reporting on the measure says it does not cover existing models already approved for sale in the US. CNN also reported that Unitree, China’s largest humanoid maker, was added in June to a US government blacklist of Chinese military-linked companies and barred from Pentagon business. SHATERED

Meta Built a Humanoid With Fourier in 3 Months

Ryan Cole

Ryan Cole

Updated Oct 31, 2026 · 15 min read

Meta has built a prototype humanoid robot with Chinese startup Fourier and is working on a second version, according to a report from The Information published Saturday, October 31, 2026. The story cites people familiar with the initiative. Reuters relayed the claim the same day and said it could not immediately verify it. That detail matters, because this is a single-source scoop on a politically loaded subject, and readers should weigh it that way. | Date | Event | Source |

| Feb. 2025 | Internal memo reveals a robotics group inside Reality Labs focused on consumer humanoid robots | Reuters, via Interesting Engineering | | 2025 | Marc Whitten, former Cruise CEO, hired to lead robotics | Reuters memo coverage, TechCrunch | | May 1, 2026 | Meta closes acquisition of Assured Robot Intelligence for an undisclosed sum | TechCrunch | | Oct. 31, 2026 | Prototype with Fourier reported, second version underway | The Information, relayed by Reuters |