In an office in Bordeaux, the Pollen Robotics teams are working on an ambitious mission: to imagine and advance useful robotics for humans. Their flagship creation, Reachy, combines accessibility, innovation and open-source collaboration.
Founded in 2016, Pollen Robotics initially focused on custom robotics projects for artistic and cultural installations. In 2019, an event changed the game. Pollen Robotics developed a bio-inspired joint system called Orbita. This innovation, capable of imitating human articulated movements with great precision, became the basis of a more ambitious project, Reachy. This robot immediately fascinated observers with its fluid and natural movements as well as its interactiveness.
Then, in 2022, a new challenge pushed the Pollen Robotics team even further, participation in the international robotics competition ANA Avatar XPRIZE. Invited by the organisers, the team presented Reachy 1 for the semi-finals, and the version successfully passed the tests. However, to win the final, it became necessary to improve the robot’s capabilities in terms of robustness and payload. “We needed a reliable and high-performance solution to meet this challenge in a very short amount of time.” says Elsa Kervella, sales and marketing director at Pollen Robotics. It was then that Pollen Robotics decided to collaborate with maxon. The maxon motors were integrated into the Orbita joints which allowed this new robotic avatar to handle heavier loads, making it eligible for the final tests. Faced with established competitors with much larger budgets and resources, Pollen Robotics stood out as a formidable outsider.
This teamwork paid off, and Pollen Robotics secured second place in the competition, with a robotic platform that would be the first iteration of Reachy 2, launched in October 2024.
Reachy is a unique humanoid robot designed to operate in various environments where human-machine interaction is essential. Versatile, intelligent and fully modular, it is much more than just a robotic platform. With its asymmetrical eyes and expressive antennas, it immediately garners affection. Reachy 2 was designed to adapt to a wide variety of uses thanks to its modular architecture. Users can choose from several configurations: a single arm, two arms, or even the addition of a mobile base.
A bio-inspired design for natural interactions
Reachy’s design is fascinating. Its natural expressions and gestures make it an intuitive and engaging robot, capable of integrating into social environments.
This fluidity is based on Pollen Robotics’ key innovation: Orbita, the bio-inspired joint system. Orbita comes in two versions adapted to different needs.
The first, Orbita 3D, is used for the wrists and neck. It allows harmonious and smooth movements with a wide range, thanks to its three degrees of freedom. Conversely, Orbita 2D, integrated into the elbows and shoulders, articulates via two degrees of freedom and is designed to support loads of up to 3 kg.
An accessible and versatile platform
Reachy also stands out for its software intelligence. Equipped with a Python SDK and based on ROS 2, Reachy offers researchers and developers an open and flexible programming environment. “We designed Reachy as a platform: researchers can integrate their own algorithms, and developers can enrich the software,” explains Kervella.
Since 2021, Reachy even includes a teleoperation feature or remote control, opening up fascinating prospects for difficult-to-access environments or those requiring great precision. With a virtual reality headset, an operator can control the robot’s movements in real time and even teach it new movements. This learning capability allows Reachy to reproduce learned gestures autonomously.
An open-source DNA to accelerate innovation
The open-source approach is a central pillar of Pollen Robotics’ identity. By making Reachy’s plans and resources public, the company offers the global community a great opportunity to customise and enrich the platform. This choice promotes collective innovation, aligned with the goal of democratising access to useful robotics. “This not only allows our customers to adapt Reachy to their needs, but also a global community to advance the technology,” continues Kervella.
This collaborative philosophy allows Reachy to be part of a constantly evolving ecosystem. An example is the collaboration with Hugging Face, a reference in artificial intelligence models. This partnership enabled the development of the learning system integrated into the robot’s teleoperation. Thanks to embedded AI algorithms, Reachy can identify the motor commands necessary to accurately reproduce the actions taught by the operator.
Adoption across all sectors
Reachy appeals to both the academic world and industry. In prestigious institutions like Cornell University, it is used to explore human-robot interaction and machine learning, pushing the limits of artificial intelligence in real conditions. In industry, its modularity allows it to adapt to complex environments, whether for cobotic tasks or specific simulations.
A partnership to push Reachy’s limits
When Pollen Robotics sought to push Reachy’s limits, the company found a solid partner in maxon. The teams closely collaborated to meet a challenge: adapting the components to demanding environments while respecting the robot’s design and modularity constraints.
Technical challenges overcome together
Integrating the motors into the Orbita joints was a significant challenge. It was necessary to reconcile performance, compactness and reliability while respecting Reachy’s humanoid design. maxon met this challenge with a series of integrations:
• EC-45 flat motors with integrated MILE encoder: With its high torque and high efficiency, the maxon EC-Flat range features an optimised winding design and powerful magnets. Its efficient heat dissipation enables continuous operation at high performance levels. What’s more, its flat design facilitates integration in confined spaces, making it ideal for a wide range of applications.
• GPX32 UP gearboxes: With an efficiency of over 90%, these gearboxes ensure smooth, efficient movements. Their robustness ensures reliable handling, even under demanding conditions.
• ECX22 torque motors: Compact and powerful, they deliver exceptional torque density for smooth, precise movements. Their iron-core winding and multipolar design guarantee optimum energy efficiency, ideal for dynamic, real-time movements.
• GPX22C gearboxes: maxon GPX gearboxes offer exceptional power transmission in a very compact package. Their modular design makes it possible to create customised solutions for every customer. In addition, ceramic components ensure high torque capacity and long life, making them ideal for demanding applications.
• ENX EASY 22 mm sensors: These robust sensors offer maximum precision and a high-quality signal, essential for fine control of complex joint movements such as wrist or neck.
The integration of maxon solutions has pushed the limits of Reachy, making it a platform as powerful as it is modular. Integrating maxon’s solutions pushed Reachy’s limits, making it a platform as high-performing as it aims to be modular.
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