Hugging Face unveils SO-101, a programmable, open-source robotic arm that can pick up and place objects



Hugging Face , known for its platform also known as the 'GitHub for AI development,' has announced the SO-101 , a programmable, 3D printable robotic arm. The SO-101 can be used by purchasing parts or 3D printing them from publicly available data and assembling them. It is equipped with an improved motor compared to the previous model released in October 2024, and can be trained with AI techniques including reinforcement learning.

Hugging Face releases a 3D-printed robotic arm starting at $100 | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/28/hugging-face-releases-a-3d-printed-robotic-arm-starting-at-100/

Hugging Face Launches Open-Source SO-101 Robot Arm for AI Builders | AIM
https://analyticsindiamag.com/ai-news-updates/hugging-face-launches-open-source-so-101-robot-arm-for-ai-builders/

The startup Hugging Face is best known for its AI development platform of the same name, but it is also focusing on research and development of robotics technology, such as announcing the acquisition of Pollen Robotics, a French startup specializing in open source humanoid robot development, in April 2025. Hugging Face's robotics division, LeRobot , partnered with French robotics company The Robot Studio and unveiled the robot arm 'SO-100' in October.



You can see how the SO-100 is assembled and the movement of the robot arm in the following movie.

3D-Printable Open-Source Robotic Arm with AI - YouTube


Upon acquiring Pollen Robotics, Hugging Face has revealed plans to sell Pollen Robotics' humanoid robot ' Reachy 2 ' in a way that allows developers to download the code and suggest improvements. Below is a movie released about the performance of Reachy 2, where you can see the delicate movement of the robot arm.

Reachy 2 (Beta) - Practicing his skills - YouTube


The following movie also shows how Reachy 2 can express emotions through gestures in a dramatic way. Watching the movie, you can see how Reachy 2 is emotional, spreading his arms in shock and shrugging his shoulders to express sadness.

ROBOT GOT DESTROYED! - YouTube


In addition, Hugging Face CEO Clem Delang announced a new version of the robot arm, the SO-101, on April 28, 2025. According to Delang, the SO-101 is built on the SO-100 and is fully open source hardware and software integrated into the LeRobot and Pollen Robotics ecosystem.



The SO-101 is available worldwide, and Hugging Face estimates the base price of the SO-101 at $100, with the total cost including 3D printed parts and a motor kit at about $130. The parts can also be ordered pre-made, and if you buy the kit from Chinese electronic parts distributor Seeed Studio, the price is $240.



The SO-101 is based on the concept of an 'open source robotic arm,' and assembly instructions and software details are available on GitHub.

lerobot/examples/12_use_so101.md at main · huggingface/lerobot · GitHub
https://github.com/huggingface/lerobot/blob/main/examples/12_use_so101.md



The SO-101 is designed for AI developers looking for an affordable, flexible robotic tool, and De Lang said, 'The SO-101 follows on from the popularity of the SO-100, the most popular robotic arm of all time. I can't wait to see what you create with this arm.'

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in Software,   Hardware, Posted by log1e_dh