Hugging Face, the world’s most innovative artificial intelligence company, has particularly cool news. Plus, they’re introducing two new versions of their innovative Reachy Mini desktop robots! So why did Clém Delangue, CEO of Hugging Face, decide to do this after initially positive initial feedback? This critique was informed by the company’s first prototype that was revealed earlier this year. The Reachy Mini Wireless and Reachy Mini Lite versions focus on opposite ends of user demands. These include advancing an open-source collaborative environment that inspires imagination and creativity in robotics.
Of those, the $449 Reachy Mini Wireless is notable for the inclusion of such wireless capabilities. The unit is powered by an innovative Raspberry Pi 5 mini computer. It provides end-users with the setup and flexibility to use it without the frustration of large, heavy cables. The Reachy Mini Lite — which costs $299 — needs to be connected to a computing source. Even with these differences, both models share a similar overall design, about the size of a typical stuffed animal. Each robot is equipped with two screens fashioned to look like eyes as well as two antennas that give them a fascinatingly endearing aesthetic.
Hugging Face first announced prototypes of the Reachy Minis in May, paired with a larger humanoid robot named HopeJR. The timeline for shipping, which the new company has previewed, promises to be an exciting one! Look for the Reachy Mini Lite shipping to begin next month, with a wireless version of the robot set to follow this year. These timelines are a reflection of Hugging Face’s mission to provide the most advanced technology to all its users, as quickly as possible.
Clém Delangue of Imagine Robotics shared the enthusiasm, and outlined the value that the Reachy Minis could provide. In addition to helping builders by automating away tedium and repetitive tasks, he thinks these robots will inspire creativity, resulting in third-party developers building a billion applications.
“Anyone will be able to build their own specific features and apps for Reachy Mini that then they’ll be able to share with the community,” – Clém Delangue
Particularly enticing though is the integration to the Hugging Face Hub, which makes your new, customizable Reachy Mini even more flexible. Users will receive free access to more than 1.7 million AI models. They’ll find over 400,000 datasets that promise to further expand the territory for innovation and creativity. Delangue shared that listening to feedback from users was the main motivation that pushed their product development forward.
“The goal in the future is to keep carefully getting a lot of feedback like that from users, from the community, that’s how we’ve always been building products at Hugging Face as an open source community platform,” – Clém Delangue
Delangue expanded upon the impact of open-source robotics. He agrees that it’s critical for determining the direction of the industry’s future.
“I feel like it’s really important for the future of robotics to be open source, instead of being closed source, black box, and concentrated in the hands of a few companies,” – Clém Delangue
Hugging Face’s mission is to democratize robotics. Because it gives anyone and everyone the tools to take control of technology itself and help shape its future. The company envisions a thriving community where creativity flourishes and where users can share their innovations with others.
