Hugging Face, one among as we speak’s largest and hottest repositories of open supply synthetic intelligence (AI) fashions, is gearing as much as step out of the digital world and into the true world. It has simply been introduced that Hugging Face might be buying Pollen Robotics, a developer of open supply humanoid robots that fortunately run open supply AI algorithms. It feels like a match made in robotic heaven.
The acquisition marks Hugging Face’s first main transfer into {hardware} and represents a big shift within the course of embodied AI. Pollen Robotics is finest identified for its flagship humanoid robotic, Reachy 2 — a $70,000, VR-compatible robotic designed for analysis, schooling, and testing cutting-edge AI in bodily environments.
Reachy 2 may be very widespread within the analysis world (📷: Léa Crespi)
Based in 2016, Pollen Robotics remains to be new on the scene, nevertheless it has already made a reputation for itself in international robotics circles, with its robots deployed at establishments like Cornell College and Carnegie Mellon. Their designs emphasize openness and modularity, with each {hardware} and software program made for tinkering, customization, and analysis — core values that align strongly with Hugging Face’s open supply mission.
The Reachy 2 platform options human-inspired, seven-degree-of-freedom arms, the expressive Orbita joint system, and a cellular base outfitted with omniwheels and LiDAR. It helps VR teleoperation and is constructed for straightforward integration with trendy AI frameworks. Pollen has additionally made intensive documentation and 3D fashions accessible to the general public by way of their Hugging Face web page.
The {hardware} and software program help make Reachy 2 a wonderful platform for embodied AI, however the excessive price ticket retains it out of the arms of most would-be experimenters. However with the acquisition, Hugging Face plans to not solely enhance Reachy 2, but additionally work towards making it a extra reasonably priced and accessible robotic platform. In the end, the aim is to totally open supply the {hardware}, letting customers 3D-print components and assemble robots themselves.
Main tech gamers, comparable to NVIDIA, are lining as much as help Hugging Face’s robotics efforts, and the DIY robotic group is booming, so the prospect of them reaching this aim seems to be fairly good. And that’s good for all of us. With efforts like this underway, the way forward for robotics seems like it might be open, accessible, and much more human.
