TechCrunch Industry News Hugging Face says its new robotics model is so efficient it can run on a MacBook
Jun 6, 2025
Discover how Hugging Face is transforming home robotics with its new AI model, SmolVLA. This innovative model, optimized for consumer devices like MacBooks, offers remarkable efficiency. It claims to outperform larger robotic models in both virtual and real-world settings. The emphasis on community-shared datasets shows a commitment to collaborative innovation in the tech space. Learn how these advancements are making sophisticated robotics projects more accessible than ever!
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SmallVLA Democratizes Robotics AI
- Hugging Face's SmallVLA is a compact robotics AI model that outperforms larger models in virtual and real environments.
- It can run on consumer GPUs or MacBooks, making advanced robotics more accessible and responsive.
Building an Open Robotics Ecosystem
- SmallVLA is a key part of Hugging Face's expanding ecosystem aimed at affordable robotics hardware and software.
- Their strategy includes providing models, datasets, and tools to accelerate generalist robotics research.
Faster Robot Responses with Async Inference
- SmallVLA's asynchronous inference separates action processing from perception processing.
- This allows robots to react faster in dynamic environments by handling sensory input and actions independently.