Hugging Face is one of the most famous startups in the world, which is widely known for its excellent AI developer platform. It has launched a fully programmable 3d-printable robotic arm that picks and places things, carries out basic actions, as well as performs many other tasks. The new baby is called SO-101, and it is a continuous improvement of the SO-100 robotic arm and Robotic Palletizing System, which was released last year by the company.
Last October, the robotics arm under the company LeRobot, which partnered with The Robot Studio French robotic company-introduced the SO-100 for about $100. For the SO-101, Hugging Face yet again joined forces with The Robot Studio, plus robotics retailer WowRobo, IoT hardware provider Seeed Studio, and parts supplier PartaBot. Like its predecessor, the SO-101 also starts at $100, but with improvements ranging from an easier assembly process to high-performance motors that reduce friction, allowing the arm to hold more of its own weight.
Perfectly equipped for camera action, this arm can learn an AI approach called reinforcement learning, so it will get the skills necessary to lift a Lego block and place it into a designated bin. The base model of SO-101 is priced around $100, but due to the costs of fully assembled units and U.S. tariffs on imports from China, actual prices from suppliers can vary between $100 and about $500. In addition to this, a significant part of Hugging Face’s ongoing expansion program in robotics is reflected in the acquisition of the French startup, Pollen Robotics, for an undisclosed amount.
The robotics division under Hugging Face will launch the marketing of Pollen’s humanoid robot, Reachy 2, to the public while allowing developers to download its software and propose enhancements. This effort is under the guidance of the former engineer of Tesla Optimus, Remi Cadene.
