Hugging Face is inviting developers to explore and experiment with its newest robotics offering. The AI platform announced Wednesday that it’s now taking orders for its Reachy Mini desktop robots, first revealed in May alongside a larger humanoid robot named HopeJR.
Two models of the Reachy Mini will be available: the $449 Reachy Mini Wireless, which runs on a Raspberry Pi 5, and the more affordable $299 Reachy Mini Lite, which requires an external computing source.
These open-source robots come as DIY kits for developers and are about the size of a stuffed animal, featuring dual screen “eyes” and two antennas.
Programmable in Python with Access to Hugging Face’s AI Ecosystem
Once assembled, the robots are fully programmable in Python and come with built-in demos. They also connect to the Hugging Face Hub—an open-source machine learning platform that provides access to over 1.7 million AI models and more than 400,000 datasets.
Hugging Face CEO Clém Delangue told TechCrunch they released two Reachy Mini versions after early feedback, including a tester whose daughter wanted to carry the robot around—highlighting the need for mobility.
“Our approach has always been to build based on user feedback and community input,” Delangue said. “Being open source means users can customize, extend, and adapt the robot however they like.”
Delangue said Hugging Face designed Reachy Mini for AI developers, aiming to let them code, build, and experiment with AI applications directly on their desktops.
Empowering Developers to Build and Share Custom AI Applications
“Anyone can create custom features and apps for Reachy Mini and share them with others,” he said.“We hope this sparks creativity, letting developers build and share plug-and-play applications.”
Hugging Face plans to ship the Reachy Mini Lite next month, with the wireless model following later this year. Delangue stressed the need for fast delivery to let users start using the robots right away.
Delangue noted that this launch aligns closely with Hugging Face’s broader vision for its robotics program: open-source hardware that empowers users with full control.
“I believe robotics should be open, not controlled by a few companies,” he said. “It’s troubling to imagine one corporation managing millions of robots with users having no control. I’d rather live in a world where everyone can understand and shape their own robots.”
Read the original article on: Techcrunch
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