Preorders for Microduck robots surpassed 20,000 units following a demonstration by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the company’s GTC Berlin conference on October 21, 2026. The small, duck-shaped robots attracted attention after Huang demonstrated their ability to walk, sit, perform somersaults and respond to voice commands.
Hugging Face co-founder Clem Delangue reported the preorder milestone on X the following day. The robots are expected to arrive before Christmas, with Delangue suggesting they could become the year’s best-selling robots.
Microduck Robots Demonstrate AI-Trained Movements
During the keynote, Huang interacted with several Microducks that responded to commands by sitting, tumbling and lying down to simulate a nap. The robots also produced electronic sounds while walking and performing coordinated movements.
The Microducks were developed by Pollen Robotics, a French robotics company acquired by Hugging Face in 2025. They are open-source devices designed for entertainment and experimentation, with promotional videos showing adults interacting with the robots.
Microduck is Hugging Face’s second robot product, following the Reachy Mini. The 25-centimeter-tall robot is available for preorder at $399, excluding taxes and shipping.
Nvidia Technology Allows Owners to Train New Robot Skills
Microducks use Nvidia’s robotics technology to learn movements through simulation before those behaviors are transferred to physical devices. Their preinstalled abilities include basic actions such as walking, sitting and standing.
Pollen Robotics allows owners to train their robots to perform additional movements and share those behaviors with other users. The company’s Microduck software repository provides access to the open-source tools used to develop and modify these behaviors.
The robots feature 15 motors, a camera, LiDAR sensors and an onboard AI accelerator. Their software supports reinforcement learning, allowing developers to train movement patterns in simulated environments before deploying them on physical hardware.
Nvidia’s Hugging Face Acquisition
Nvidia announced an agreement to acquire Hugging Face in September 2026 for approximately $12.93 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.
Hugging Face acquired Pollen Robotics in 2025, making Microduck part of its robotics product lineup alongside Reachy Mini. The company’s open-source approach allows developers and customers to modify robot behaviors and share their work with others.
Delangue’s preorder announcement followed the circulation of Huang’s demonstration video, which showed the robots performing their trained movements. The first Microduck deliveries are targeted for before Christmas 2026.
Featured image credits: Nvidia
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.