Hugging Face has announced the start of pre-orders for its new desktop robots, the Reachy Mini.

Two models are available: the Reachy Mini Wireless, priced at US$449, and the Reachy Mini Lite, priced at US$299.

The Reachy Mini robots are open-source and come as a kit for developers to assemble and program.

They are designed to be programmable in Python and integrate with Hugging Face’s platform, providing access to various AI models and datasets.

The Wireless version operates on a Raspberry Pi 5, while the Lite version requires a separate computing source.

CEO Clém Delangue said the design was shaped by early developer feedback.

The Lite version ships next month, and the Wireless model later this year.

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🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Hugging Face’s strategy follows the democratization pattern established by ROS

Hugging Face’s open-source approach to Reachy Mini parallels the impact of the Robot Operating System (ROS), which transformed robotics development starting in 2009.

ROS emerged to address the problem of robotics developers spending significant time rewriting existing code rather than creating new applications 1.

This open-source framework grew from an academic project at Stanford to become the industry standard, attracting contributors and enabling innovation across the robotics ecosystem 2.

By offering open-source hardware with Python programmability, Hugging Face is applying this democratization pattern to physical robots, potentially fostering community-driven development.

The company’s emphasis on user control reflects the principles of ROS, which sought to eliminate repetitive coding and create shared infrastructure benefiting the robotics community.

2️⃣ Strategic acquisition enables vertical integration of AI and robotics

Hugging Face’s Reachy Mini launch represents the culmination of their acquisition of Pollen Robotics in 2025, marking a significant integration of their AI platform with physical hardware 3.

This acquisition provided access to Pollen’s humanoid robot technology, which was already being used for research at institutions like Cornell and Carnegie Mellon University 3.

The integration with Hugging Face Hub creates an ecosystem where developers can access over 1.7 million AI models and 400,000 datasets directly from their physical robot, addressing the gap between software AI and its implementation in physical systems 4.

By combining their AI platform strengths with accessible robotics hardware, Hugging Face is positioning itself at the intersection of two rapidly growing markets, with the global robotic process automation market projected to reach $211.06 billion by 2034 5.

3️⃣ Price disruption aims to create a TurtleBot-like catalyst for developer adoption

The $299 starting price for Reachy Mini is reminiscent of TurtleBot, which expanded the ROS developer community after its 2011 introduction by making robotics experimentation more accessible 6.

Before low-cost developer platforms emerged, robotics development was largely confined to well-funded research institutions and companies that could afford expensive industrial robots 4.

This price strategy aims to create a cycle where more developers create applications, attracting more users, which drives further development – a pattern seen in the growth of the ROS ecosystem 2.

The decision to offer DIY kits rather than assembled units emphasizes hands-on engagement, ensuring developers gain a deeper understanding of the platform while reducing manufacturing costs.

This approach aligns with predictions that robotics-as-a-service models will make advanced robotic solutions more accessible across industries throughout 2025 7.

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