By now, you may have heard of Microduck and Reachy Mini by Pollen Robotics and Hugging Face. It’s startling.
Yes, Pollen Robotics and Hugging Face have introduced robots and launched them in several color variations, Microduck and Reachy Mini, both below $500, excluding tax. And as per the news, people are buying them, with Microduck sales reaching $2.6 million in 24 hours after launch. And it’s so popular just in such an early phase. It’s set to be delivered around Christmas.
Another key is its open source. You can configure the robots according to your needs; you can add tools in Reachy Mini. If you want it to tell you where planets are located, just add tools in tools.txt, instructions in instruction.txt, and write a small Python/js code, or search the community to see if someone has already made an extension for it. Add functionalities, ready-to-use apps, including the Avatar you want it to use, storytelling, voice variation, kitchen skills, and more.
This is really good. But where are we leading? To a world that says we don’t want robots, or to a world that is lining up to buy these small, cute robots? They are like children playing in a garden. Would these small robots become part of our lives?
Remember the first time our generation saw mobile phones; it gave me the same feeling. I know some of you grew up with mobiles by your side.
This is something new coming to market, priced lower than an Apple phone. So this makes everyone tempted. It left monotonous humanoids behind, which haven’t lured people as much as these small robots that look naughty and cute.
Are we heading toward mini robots? If so, in a continuum, people might be convinced to buy humanoids in the future. This model works well for working parents with kids at home, as long as safety is ensured. These are small, so safety does not seem like an issue. But toddlers at home can still find these young robots astonishing, and adults who have young children can be amazed by them. Once again, community extensions must include safety add-ons, such as preventing a small robot from harming a toddler’s fingers when parents aren’t around.
Would we have such mini robots in homes around the world? Rich, developed countries can afford them, for sure. Developing nations, as I think, would make models like Microduck and Reachy Mini under a different brand name altogether. Right now, the company isn’t shipping worldwide, so local competition will grow soon. Given its open-source nature, many baby robots are in development worldwide. In the near future, you’ll see China make its baby robots even cuter. We have seen Chinese baby robots at the China World Games. No one is close to Microduck and Reachy Mini yet. So the competition isn’t just about cuteness; it is about safety, too. The cuter, the more the sales. Be careful if you are a parent and want to buy robots. Code in security protocols and add them to the Hugging Face community tools.
In summary, people are loving it. It’s such an appealing surprise. But note that China is not waiting. China wants a market for its huge collection of robots it is building and showcasing at the World Robot Games. Would China now make smaller, cuter robots? And China can sell its young fleet of robots at a lower price. We know China copies a lot of things, and it copies fast. And since it’s all open source, it’s easier. So there will be a lot of competition in the coming times. Who knows if China ships much before Christmas. No, it can’t do it that soon, but China is very competitive, so don’t wait.
Artificial Intelligence and Future 