Hugging Face-Acquired Pollen Robotics Debuts $70,000 Open-Source Reachy 2 Humanoid Robot

Pollen Robotics, now under the ownership of AI giant Hugging Face, has officially launched its Reachy 2 humanoid robot, priced at $70,000. This advanced open-source platform aims to democratize robotics development, directly challenging a growing industry trend towards proprietary and closed systems. The move follows Hugging Face's acquisition of the French robotics firm in April 2025, signaling a significant push for open-source hardware and software in the robotics sector.

The Reachy 2 distinguishes itself by making its entire ecosystem open, encompassing its code, CAD files, ROS 2 interfaces, and communication stack. Lukas Ziegler, a prominent voice in the robotics community, highlighted this approach on social media, stating, > "As more billion-dollar players enter the space, more systems are closing off. APIs move behind paywalls, platforms lock down, and robots turn into black boxes. @pollenrobotics is taking the opposite route. With Reachy 2, everything is open." This philosophy allows users to freely modify hardware components like cameras or grippers, and even fork the entire system.

Hugging Face's acquisition of Pollen Robotics aligns with its broader mission to advance and democratize artificial intelligence through open science. The company stated its belief that "robotics could be the next interface for AI — and it should be open, affordable, and hackable." This strategic integration aims to combine Hugging Face's AI expertise with Pollen Robotics' hardware innovation, fostering a collaborative environment for researchers and developers.

Reachy 2, which debuted publicly at CES 2025, is a bimanual mobile manipulator designed for embodied AI research and human-robot interaction. It features two 7-degree-of-freedom arms, patented Orbita joint systems for fluid movements, and supports VR teleoperation. The robot is currently being utilized by leading academic institutions such as Cornell University and Carnegie Mellon University for cutting-edge research.

Further expanding accessibility, Hugging Face and Pollen Robotics also introduced Reachy Mini, a compact, desktop-sized robot starting at $299. This smaller, more affordable version is designed to lower the barrier to entry for students, hobbyists, and developers keen on AI experimentation and creative coding. Both Reachy 2 and Reachy Mini embody the vision of open ecosystems, echoing the "Hugging Face influence" cited by Ziegler, where robotics innovation is not limited to a select few companies.