Hugging Face Acquires Pollen Robotics to Expand Open-Source Robotics Efforts

Hugging Face, a leader in open-source AI, has announced its acquisition of Pollen Robotics, a French startup specialising in open-source humanoid robots. The move aims to advance the development and accessibility of robotics technology for research, education, and practical applications.

Hugging Face, known for its widely used AI platform, has been expanding into robotics under the leadership of Remi Cadene, a former Tesla robotics engineer. The company has positioned itself as a key player in open robotics through its “Le Robot” program and collaboration with Pollen Robotics. 

“We believe robotics could be the next interface for AI — and it should be open, affordable, and hackable,” Hugging Face said.

Founded in 2016 by researchers Matthieu Lapeyre and Pierre Rouanet, Pollen Robotics is recognised for its flagship product, Reachy. The latest version, Reachy 2, is a modular humanoid robot designed for research and education. 

It features advanced capabilities such as VR teleoperation, stereo vision, spatialised audio, and a bio-inspired design. The robot is already in use at institutions like Cornell University and Carnegie Mellon University. Priced at $70,000, Reachy 2 is available for order via Pollen Robotics’ sales team.

Lapeyre highlighted the company’s mission, saying, “We’ve always aimed to make robotics and AI accessible to everyone, creating technology that’s positive, exciting, playful, and refreshingly simple.”

“Joining Hugging Face, a company driven by the very same values in the field of AI, feels like an obvious and natural next step. It just makes so much sense to join forces and amplify our shared vision,” he added.

Hugging Face envisions a future where robotics is democratised through open-source principles. Through its acquisition of Pollen Robotics, the company wants to empower researchers and developers to create customisable robotic solutions free from proprietary constraints.

Hugging Face also plans to integrate its AI expertise with Pollen’s hardware to further enhance Reachy’s capabilities.