Story
Fourier Intelligence didn't start as a humanoid company. It started as a rehabilitation robotics company in Shanghai — making exoskeletons and assistive devices for hospitals. That lineage shows up in the GR-1: the lifting-and-assistance orientation that fits rehab patients more naturally than warehouse work.
The bet to pivot toward a general-purpose humanoid was risky. The product launched in 2023 at a price aggressive enough to undercut everyone except Unitree, and it has shipped — primarily to academic and research customers buying for capability research rather than production deployment.
The profile keeps only source-backed core specifications and should be rechecked periodically against Fourier's own product materials. The Reality Score reflects real shipments and proven hardware lineage, balanced against thin commercial proof outside research.
Reality check
GR-1 is a research-priced humanoid from a company that originally built rehabilitation robots. It appears to have shipped to a narrower research customer base than its marketing implies, but current public verification and source depth remain thin.
- Fourier originated as a rehabilitation robotics company — real industrial-hardware lineage
- GR-1 ships to academic and research customers
- Publicly listed by Fourier as the predecessor to GR-2
- Marketing materials emphasize household use cases that current deployments don't reflect
- Public spec and deployment evidence remains thin enough that Fourier should be periodically re-verified