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Hugging Face buys a humanoid robotics startup
Hugging Face has acquired Pollen Robotics, a French startup known for its humanoid robot Reachy 2, aiming to enhance its AI development platform. Pollen, founded by Matthieu Lapeyre and Pierre Rouanet in 2016, previously raised €2.5 million. This acquisition underlines the growing intersection between AI and robotics.
Key points
- Hugging Face acquired Pollen Robotics for an undisclosed amount.
- Pollen's main product is the humanoid robot Reachy 2, which will be sold to developers.
- Developers will have access to Reachy 2's code to make improvements.
- Pollen Robotics was founded in 2016 and raised €2.5 million from investors.
- Hugging Face aims to integrate AI and robotics, promoting open-source development in this field.
- The acquisition follows their collaboration on 'Le Robot', an open-source robot for household chores.
Why it matters
- This acquisition reflects the broader trend of integrating AI and robotics, which analysts forecast will shape technology developments by 2025.
- The move aligns with growing interest in humanoid robots following advancements in AI, evident in trends like the rise of conversational AI and automation technology.
Hugging Face's acquisition of Pollen Robotics signifies a strategic move to position itself at the forefront of the robotics sector, leveraging open-source initiatives to drive innovation and accessibility in humanoid robotics.