$70K robot aims to fill manufacturing labor gap

Hugging Face’s $70,000 commercial humanoid robot enters a manufacturing landscape where factories struggle to attract human workers. The open-source Reachy 2 robot represents a significant shift in the AI hardware market, marking an intriguing development in the intersection of artificial intelligence, robotics, and industrial automation—while potentially solving labor shortages in sectors where Americans increasingly prefer not to work.

The big picture: AI startup Hugging Face has launched Reachy 2, the first commercially available open-source humanoid robot, priced at $70,000.

• The robot is designed to be fully hackable, allowing buyers to modify both its code and hardware to suit their specific needs.
• While currently aimed at researchers, the robot’s availability creates immediate possibilities for manufacturing companies to test it in factory settings.

Why this matters: The timing of Reachy 2’s release aligns with significant labor challenges in American manufacturing.

• Recent surveys indicate most Americans prefer not to work in factory jobs, creating a potential market for robotic alternatives.
• Entrepreneur Peter Diamandis has predicted that “millions, then billions” of humanoid robots will eventually enter the workforce.

Key details: Reachy 2 features a human-like upper body mounted on a pivoting tripod base, equipped with stereo vision, microphones, and lidar for object detection.

• Hugging Face co-founder Clément Delangue announced the robot on X (formerly Twitter), noting it’s already being used at Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, and major AI labs.
• The company describes Reachy 2 as “a versatile, expressive, and open robotic platform designed to explore the future of human-robot interaction, assistive robotics, and AI-driven behavior.”

Behind the acquisition: Hugging Face, primarily known for its AI software platform and community, purchased Reachy 2’s creator Pollen Robotics this week.

• The acquisition signals Hugging Face’s belief that “robotics could be the next interface for AI” in a way that is “open, affordable, and hackable.”
• This approach potentially differentiates Hugging Face from competitors like Tesla, which is developing its Optimus robot but may not make it fully open-source.

The competition: Reachy 2 enters a growing field of companies developing humanoid robots for various applications.

• Tesla, OpenAI, Figure, and reportedly Apple are all working on AI-powered humanoid machines.
• The open-source nature of Reachy 2 could give it a competitive advantage by fostering a community of developers and researchers who can improve its capabilities.

Historical context: The rise of humanoid robots inevitably recalls science fiction writer Isaac Asimov’s three laws of robotics, which established ethical guidelines for robot behavior.

• Asimov’s first law states robots may not harm humans or allow humans to come to harm.
• The second law requires robots to obey human orders except when conflicting with the first law.
• The third law dictates robots must protect themselves unless doing so violates the first or second laws.