Hugging Face has acquired Pollen Robotics, the French startup behind the open-source humanoid robot Reachy 2. This move aims to democratize robotics by making both software and hardware open source, allowing developers to modify and improve upon them. Reachy 2, capable of tasks like picking up fruit and organizing mugs, is already being used by several major AI firms for research. Hugging Face plans to sell the robot while also releasing its code and hardware designs, promoting transparency and collaboration in robotics development. This acquisition aligns with Hugging Face’s mission to foster open-source AI development, similar to its previous initiatives in hosting open-weight AI models. The company believes that open-sourcing robotics will accelerate innovation and lead to safer, more capable robots.

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