Design Thinking Japan Hosts Tokyo Edition of Hugging Face's Global LeRobot Hackathon

Design Thinking Japan partnered with Tokyo AI to host a two-day hackathon as part of Hugging Face's global LeRobot initiative, connecting over 80 cities and 1,000 builders focused on open-source AI robotics.

The event challenged developers to work with robots performing real-world tasks — movement, object manipulation, and collaboration — using affordable, open-source systems. Beyond technical work, participants engaged in collaborative problem-solving and experimental breakthroughs.

"Physical AI represents a new frontier where humans and machines co-create, innovate, and transform the future — side by side." — Brittany Arthur, CEO

The LeRobot project provides accessible robot designs, AI training materials, and shared datasets to democratize robotics development. Participants experimented with data collection, imitation learning, and model training using real robot arms and mobile manipulators.

The hackathon energized Japan's innovation ecosystem while advancing a global movement toward accessible, collaborative, human-centered AI robotics.