Hey, robot fans—Hugging Face, the crew that’s been rocking the AI world with open-source goodies, just dropped something pretty cool: the Reachy Mini. This isn’t your average desk gadget. It’s a pint-sized, AI-powered robot built for messing around with code, interacting with humans, and basically letting your inner tech geek run wild. Pre-orders are live, and whether you’re a coder, a tinkerer, or just someone who thinks robots are neat, this might be your next obsession.

If you’re new to the scene, Hugging Face is the name behind a massive open-source playground for artificial intelligence. They’re famous for stuff like natural language processing tools—think chatbots and text-crunching models—and they’ve got a community of over 10 million people swapping code and ideas. Their hub hosts a jaw-dropping 1.7 million AI models and 400,000 datasets, per their latest updates. Now, they’re stepping out of the digital realm and into robotics with Reachy Mini, bringing that same “let’s share everything” vibe along for the ride.

What’s Reachy Mini all about?

Picture this: a robot small enough to chill on your desk or kitchen counter—28cm tall, 16cm wide, about the size of a fancy coffee maker. But don’t let the cute factor fool you; Reachy Mini’s got some serious chops. It’s got animated antennas that wiggle around, a head that moves in six different ways, a wide-angle camera for scoping things out, and a 5W speaker for chatting or playing tunes. Oh, and it spins its whole body like a tiny dancer. It’s expressive, it’s playful, and it’s ready for you to make it your own.

Hugging Face is rolling out two versions:

• Reachy Mini (wireless): This one’s the full deal at $449. It runs on a Raspberry Pi 5, has a built-in battery so it’s cord-free, and comes with four microphones plus an accelerometer for extra smarts. Think of it as the go-anywhere, do-anything model.
• Reachy Mini Lite: For $299, this one’s a bit simpler. It’s wired, so you’ll need to plug it into a Mac or Linux machine (sorry, Windows folks, not yet). It’s still in early development, skips the accelerometer, and has two mics instead of four. Still cool, just leaner.

Both come as DIY kits—yep, you build it yourself—which is half the fun. Once it’s together, you’ve got a robot that’s begging to be programmed and played with.

Hugging Face isn’t just tossing another gadget into the market; they’re trying to shake things up. Robotics has always been this exclusive club—pricey gear, closed systems, big companies calling the shots. Reachy Mini says nah to that. Starting at $299, it’s cheap enough for hobbyists, students, or even parents looking for a weekend project with the kids. And since it’s open-source, you’re not stuck with someone else’s rules—you can tweak the hardware, rewrite the software, and share your hacks with the world.

What can it do?

Out of the box, Reachy Mini’s loaded with over 15 demos you can grab from the Hugging Face Hub. We’re talking face tracking, hand tracking, dancing—yeah, it’s got moves—and even acting like a little smart buddy. You don’t need to code a thing to start; just plug in and play. But if you’re the hands-on type, it’s programmable in Python right now, with JavaScript and Scratch support coming down the line. That means everyone from pros to total newbies can jump in.

The wireless version’s got Wi-Fi, so it can connect and chat with the internet. The camera and mics make it perfect for testing out computer vision or voice recognition stuff. And if you’re dreaming big, there’s a simulation SDK—basically a virtual Reachy Mini—so you can test your ideas before the real thing even shows up at your door.

The best part? Anything you build, you can toss up on the Hub for others to try. Someone’s already going to make it tell stories to kids or run a smart home, right? The community’s buzzing about it on X, with folks calling it “a game-changer for learning robotics” and “a steal at this price.”

How Hugging Face got here

This isn’t some random pivot. Hugging Face teamed up with Pollen Robotics—a French outfit known for open-source bots—back in April 2025, snagging their hardware know-how. Together, they’ve cooked up Reachy Mini as a launchpad, not just a one-off. Robotics is heating up—analysts like those at MarketsandMarkets peg the humanoid robot market at $38 billion by 2035—and Hugging Face wants in, but on their terms: open, collaborative, and community-first.

When can you get one?

Pre-orders are live on Hugging Face’s site as we speak. The Lite version ships late summer 2025, while the wireless one rolls out in batches from fall 2025 through 2026.

• Reachy Mini Lite: $299, wired, late summer 2025.
• Reachy Mini Wireless: $449, standalone, fall 2025–2026.

Reachy Mini’s just the start. Hugging Face is already hinting at more—maybe arms for picking stuff up, maybe crazier AI tricks. It’s open-source, so the community might beat them to it. Imagine a flood of add-ons, mods, and wild projects popping up on the Hub. That’s the dream, anyway: a robotics revolution where everyone’s invited.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to mess with AI in the real world, here’s your shot. Grab a Reachy Mini, join the 10-million-strong crew, and see what you can build. The future’s open—go make it weird.