Can this $70,000 robot transform AI research?

The folks at Hugging Face, the open-source artificial intelligence gurus, just jumped into the world of robotics by acquiring Pollen Robotics. And right out of the gate, they are offering the Reachy 2, a super-interesting humanoid robot designed as a “lab partner for the AI era.”

Ready to dive in and see what all the buzz is about?

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What makes this humanoid robot so special?

So, what makes Reachy 2 stand out? Well, first off, it’s a state-of-the-art humanoid robot already making waves in labs like Cornell and Carnegie Mellon. It’s designed to be friendly and approachable, inviting natural interaction. This robot is open-source and VR-compatible, perfect for research, education and experimenting with embodied AI.

The innovative Orbita joint system gives Reachy 2’s neck and wrists smooth, multi-directional movement, making it remarkably expressive. Reachy 2 also features human-inspired arms.

Its mobile base, equipped with omni wheels and lidar, allows for seamless navigation, and the VR teleoperation feature lets you literally see through the robot’s eyes! Finally, its open-source nature fosters collaboration and customization, with Pollen Robotics providing a ton of resources on their Hugging Face organization.

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Technical specifications

This humanoid robot combines advanced vision, audio and actuator systems for cutting-edge AI interaction and teleoperation. Here’s a quick look at what Reachy 2 brings to the table. Standing between 4.46 and 5.45 feet tall and weighing in at 110 pounds, it features bio-inspired arms with 7 degrees of freedom, capable of handling payloads up to 6.6 pounds. It’s also equipped with a parallel torque-controlled gripper and multiple cameras for depth perception, plus a high-quality audio system. Navigating its environment is a breeze thanks to its omnidirectional mobile base.

When it comes to perception, Reachy 2 has a vision module in its head with dual RGB cameras and a Time-of-Flight module for depth measurement. There’s also an RGB-D camera in its torso for accurate depth sensing. Immersive stereo perception is achieved through microphones in Reachy’s antennas.

For interaction, Reachy 2 has custom-built speakers with a high-quality amplifier and a Rode AI-Micro audio interface. Its expressive head is powered by an Orbita system, and it has motorized antennas for enhanced human-robot interaction.

Reachy 2’s manipulation capabilities stem from its Orbita 3D and 2D parallel mechanisms, along with a Dynamixel-based parallel gripper that features torque control.

Controlling Reachy 2 is a Solidrun Bedrock v3000 unit, with AI processing handled on external hardware. Finally, the mobile base includes omnidirectional wheels, Hall sensors and IMU, an RP Lidar S2 and a LiFePO₄ Battery.

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Cost of the humanoid robot

Getting your hands on Reachy 2 will cost you $70,000, a price that reflects its cutting-edge robotics and AI components and open-source capabilities, making it a serious investment for researchers and educators looking to push the boundaries of human-robot interaction.

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Hugging Face and Pollen Robotics team up

So, what does Hugging Face scooping up Pollen Robotics really mean? Well, it could signal a big push toward making robotics more accessible. Think of it this way: Hugging Face co-founder Thomas Wolf and chief scientist at Hugging Face says, “We believe robotics could be the next frontier unlocked by AI, and it should be open, affordable, and private.”

Matthieu Lapeyre, Pollen Robotics co-founder, echoes this sentiment: “Hugging Face is a natural home for us to grow, as we share a common goal: putting AI and robotics in the hands of everyone.”

Hugging Face’s acquisition of Pollen Robotics represents its fifth acquisition after Gradio and Xethub. This move solidifies Hugging Face’s commitment to open-source AI and its vision for a future where AI and robotics are accessible to all.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Bottom line? Hugging Face is making moves. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll all have our own Reachy to help with the chores (or just keep us company). Either way, the collaboration between Hugging Face and Pollen Robotics is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

If you could use a robot like Reachy 2 for any purpose, what would it be and why? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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