Hugging Face Acquires Pollen Robotics, Eyes Open Source Future for Humanoid Hardware

Hugging Faces Simon Alibert and Rémi Cadene — Simon Alibert and Rémi Cadene. Image credit: Hugging Face

TL;DR: Hugging Face has acquired Pollen Robotics, makers of the open-source humanoid robot Reachy, marking its entry into hardware. The move aligns with Hugging Face’s mission to bring open-source AI to embodied robotics, aiming to lower costs and eventually open-source Reachy’s hardware. With this acquisition, Hugging Face hopes to democratize humanoid development, applying its community-driven software success to the physical world.

Hugging Face Bets on Open Source Hardware with Pollen Robotics Acquisition

AI platform Hugging Face, best known for its vast repository of open-source AI models, is making a significant move into the physical world by acquiring Pollen Robotics, the French startup behind the Reachy humanoid robot. The financial terms of the deal, announced April 14, 2025, were not disclosed. Pollen Robotics co-founders Matthieu Lapeyre and Pierre Rouanet, along with approximately 20 employees, will join Hugging Face.

Stepping into the Physical Realm

This acquisition marks Hugging Face's first foray into selling hardware. While the company has steadily increased its focus on robotics software over the past year – launching the 'LeRobot' open-source library, hiring former Tesla Optimus researcher Remi Cadene, and becoming Nvidia's preferred platform for its GR00T humanoid AI model – adding Pollen brings a tangible product into its portfolio.

Pollen Robotics, founded in 2016 by former INRIA researchers, developed Reachy, an open-source humanoid robot primarily aimed at academic research, education, and prototyping embodied AI applications. With a current price tag around $70,000, Reachy is used in labs at institutions like Cornell and Carnegie Mellon. The robot features VR teleoperation capabilities and a design intended to be modifiable by users.

Humanoid Robots developed by Pollen Robotics standing at a table — Humanoid robots developed by Pollen Robotics. Image credit: Pollen Robotics

An Open Source Philosophy for Hardware

Robotics is going to be the next frontier that AI will unlock. With Hugging Face, we hope to democratize [humanoid robotics development]

Both companies share a strong commitment to open-source principles, a key driver for the acquisition. Hugging Face co-founder Thomas Wolf emphasized the importance of open-source AI models for controlling physical robots, arguing that transparency is crucial for safety and security. He referenced a recent security vulnerability found in a robot from Unitree as underscoring the risks of closed systems.

"Robotics is going to be the next frontier that AI will unlock," Wolf told Fortune, suggesting that embodied AI is vital for future progress. Pollen's co-founder Matthieu Lapeyre echoed the sentiment, telling Wired, "With Hugging Face, we hope to democratize [humanoid robotics development]."

The open approach extends beyond software. While Reachy already runs open-source software, Hugging Face aims to significantly lower the robot's cost and harbors ambitions to eventually open-source the hardware designs themselves. This could allow users to 3D-print replacement parts or modify the robot's physical structure.

Reachy 2 humanoid robot developed by Pollen Robotics — Reachy 2 by Pollen Robotics. Image credit: Pollen Robotics

Navigating the Humanoid Hype

You can’t cheat, you can’t hide with open source.

Humanoid robotics is a field currently characterized by significant investment, ambitious timelines from companies like Tesla, Figure, and Agility Robotics, and a degree of hype. Impressive demo videos sometimes obscure the limitations and reliability challenges these complex systems still face. Hugging Face's Clément Delangue suggested to Wired that the open-source approach fosters transparency: "You can’t cheat, you can’t hide with open source."

The acquisition positions Hugging Face to apply its community-driven, open-source model – highly successful in the AI software domain – to the challenges of hardware development. While Pollen's Reachy 2 is currently a niche product for researchers, Hugging Face clearly sees potential in combining open AI models with increasingly accessible robotic platforms.

The immediate focus will likely be on integrating Pollen's team and technology, fostering the existing Reachy ecosystem, and exploring pathways to reduce costs. Whether Hugging Face can catalyze a truly open and collaborative hardware movement comparable to its software platform remains an open question, but it's a significant bet on extending open principles from code to physical robots.