Published on: April 15, 2025 / Updated on: April 15, 2025 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
The humanoid open-source robot Reachy 2 from Pollen Robotics: Innovation and openness in robotics – Image source: Pollen Robotics / Creative image: Xpert.Digital
Future technology: The open-source robot Reachy 2 in focus
Open-source meets robotics: How Reachy 2 is pushing the boundaries
Reachy 2 is an advanced, open-source humanoid robot that redefines the world of robotics with its unique design and versatile capabilities. This latest generation of humanoid robot, developed by Pollen Robotics, combines innovative technology with an open-source philosophy, opening up new possibilities for research, development, and practical applications.
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The story of Reachy and Pollen Robotics
Pollen Robotics was founded in 2016 in Bordeaux, France, by two former INRIA researchers, Matthieu Lapeyre and Pierre Rouanet. The company initially focused on custom robotics projects for artistic and cultural installations. The development of Reachy took shape in 2019 when intern Augustin Crampette developed a bio-inspired joint system called “Orbita” that could mimic human joint movements with high precision.
The first Reachy robot debuted at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, immediately captivating visitors with its fluid, natural movements and interactivity. A pivotal moment in Reachy's development was its participation in the international robotics competition ANA Avatar XPRIZE in 2022. For this competition, the team needed to enhance the robot's capabilities in terms of robustness and payload, leading to a collaboration with motor manufacturer maxon. Despite competition from established rivals with significantly larger budgets, Pollen Robotics achieved second place – a success that paved the way for the development of Reachy 2, which was launched in October 2024.
The latest version, Reachy 2, was presented at CES in early 2025, where the company announced that 100 robots were already in use in 20 countries worldwide.
From research to reality
“At Pollen Robotics, we are proud to offer the only modular, open-source humanoid robotics solution that can meet today’s market demands while anticipating future advancements,” says Matthieu Lapeyre, CEO of Pollen Robotics. This vision is reflected in the company’s approach: “We build accessible and open-source technologies for the real world, with a focus on robot manipulation.”.
Technical features and capabilities
Reachy 2 is specifically designed for the development of embodied AI and real-world applications, offering impressive technical features that make it a powerful tool for various fields of application.
Anatomy and specifications
With a height of 166 cm and a weight of approximately 32-50 kg (depending on configuration), Reachy 2 is roughly the size of an adult. The robot has a total of 21 degrees of freedom (DOF), distributed as follows:
- 7 DOF for each arm (14 DOF total)
- 1 DOF for each gripper (2 DOF total)
- 3 DOF for the neck
- 1 DOF for each antenna (2 DOF total)
The bio-inspired arms resemble those of an adult human arm in their dimensions, proportions, and movements. A single arm can lift objects weighing up to 3 kg and manipulate them with considerable dexterity. The robot can move at a recommended speed of 3.6 km/h (maximum 9 km/h) and has an operating time of approximately 8 hours per charge.
Advanced sensor technology and computing power
Reachy 2 is equipped with state-of-the-art sensors, including:
- Two 1080p@30fps cameras with motorized zoom in the head (field of view 65° to 125°)
- Force sensors in the grippers
- Hall sensors and IMU on each wheel of the mobile base
- RP Lidar S2
At the heart of the computing power is an internal computer with an Intel i5 dual-core 2.1 GHz processor, 8 GB of DDR4 RAM, and 256 GB of SSD storage. Additionally, the robot features an embedded TPU (Google Coral) for machine learning, ensuring seamless compatibility with modern AI frameworks.
The orbital system: Key to natural movements
One of Pollen Robotics' main innovations is the patented Orbita joint system, which is available in two versions for different needs:
- Orbita 3D is used for the wrists and neck and, with its three degrees of freedom, enables harmonious and smooth movements with a wide range of motion
- Orbita 2D is integrated into the elbows and shoulders, articulates over two degrees of freedom and is designed to support loads of up to 3 kg
Modular design and configurations
One of the outstanding features of Reachy 2 is its modularity, which allows the robot to be adapted to various applications. The robot is available in four main configurations:
- Reachy 2 Dual Arm + Mobile Base
- Reachy 2 Single Arm + Mobile Base
- Reachy 2 Dual Arm
- Reachy 2 Single Arm
The mobile base offers access to more applications and a larger working area. It features simple navigation with three omniwheels, a cylindrical structure, numerous sensors, and a LiDAR.
Teleoperation and VR control
A particularly innovative feature of Reachy 2 is its teleoperation capability. Using VR equipment, an operator can control the robot's arms, hands, and head in real time and see through Reachy's cameras to interact with its environment. This feature not only enables remote control but also allows the robot to be "taught" new movements, which it can then reproduce autonomously. With a glass-to-glass latency of just 125 ms, the system offers impressive responsiveness, making it ideal for remote surgery, research, and AI data collection.
Open-source philosophy and development environment
The open-source nature of Reachy 2 is a central pillar of Pollen Robotics' identity. By releasing the plans and resources, the company offers the global community the opportunity to customize and enrich the platform.
Programmability and ROS2 integration
Reachy 2 is fully programmable in Python and based on ROS2 Foxy, providing an open and flexible programming environment for researchers and developers. This allows for the integration of custom algorithms and software enhancements, making the robot an ideal platform for researching and developing new technologies.
“We designed Reachy as a platform: researchers can integrate their own algorithms, and developers can enrich the software,” explains Elsa Kervella, Sales and Marketing Director at Pollen Robotics.
Collaborative Innovation
The collaborative philosophy allows Reachy 2 to be part of a constantly evolving ecosystem. One example of this is the collaboration with Hugging Face, a leading authority on artificial intelligence models. This partnership enabled the development of the robot's integrated learning system for teleoperation.
Areas of application and possible uses
Reachy 2 is designed for a wide range of applications and appeals to both the academic world and industry.
Research and Academy
At renowned institutions such as EPFL, Cornell University, and Carnegie Mellon University, Reachy is used to research human-robot interaction and machine learning in order to expand the boundaries of artificial intelligence under real-world conditions.
Industry and service sector
In industry, Reachy 2's modularity allows it to adapt to complex environments, whether for collaborative robotics tasks or specific simulations. The robot is also used in healthcare and retail.
A tool for AI development
According to Matthieu Lapeyre, founder of Pollen Robotics, Reachy 2 is “a humanoid robot designed as a body for new generations of artificial intelligence.” This vision underscores the robot’s potential as a platform for developing and testing new AI systems in real-world environments.
Current developments and future prospects
The presentation of Reachy 2 at CES 2025 marks an important milestone in the robot's development. With 100 robots already sold worldwide, the growing interest in this open, modular platform is evident.
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Partnerships and collaborations
Collaboration with various partners, including maxon for motor integration and Hugging Face for AI development, has contributed to the continuous improvement of Reachy 2. These collaborations underscore Pollen Robotics' commitment to collaborative innovation and democratizing access to advanced robotics.
Modular, open-source and innovative: What makes Reachy 2 unique
Reachy 2 represents a significant advancement in the development of humanoid robots. With its combination of advanced technology, modular design, and open-source philosophy, it offers an accessible and flexible platform for researchers, developers, and companies working on the future of robotics and artificial intelligence.
The strengths of Reachy 2 – its impressive human-machine interaction, its ability to manipulate a wide variety of objects, its teleoperation via VR and its open development environment – make it a versatile tool for a wide range of applications, from advanced AI research to practical, real-world manipulation tasks.
With its continuous improvements and growing community of users and developers, Reachy 2 is well positioned to continue playing an important role in the development of humanoid robots and to pave the way for new generations of robotics and AI systems.
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