During the opening of Nvidia’s GTC Berlin conference, CEO Jensen Huang was captured interacting with a group of small, waddling robots known as Microducks. The devices moved by stamping tiny feet, emitted high-pitched sounds reminiscent of a classic sci-fi droid, and responded to voice commands by sitting, pretending to be inert, and performing somersaults. The clip quickly spread across social platforms, drawing attention to the novelty of the demonstration.
A day after the keynote, Clem Delangue of Hugging Face announced on Twitter that preorder requests for the Microduck had already exceeded twenty thousand units. The figure was cited as a direct response to the viral video, indicating strong consumer interest despite the robot’s primary positioning as a research-oriented, open-source platform. No further sales data have been released, but the early momentum suggests a rapid uptake.
The manufacturer has indicated that shipments will arrive before the end of the year, positioning the Microduck as a potential holiday-season bestseller. Observers note that promotional material depicts adults engaging with the devices, hinting that the market may extend beyond traditional children’s toys. Delangue speculated that the robot could become the top-selling autonomous unit of the year, though official forecasts remain unpublished.
Microducks are produced by Pollen Robotics, a firm that became part of Hugging Face following an acquisition in 2025. Later that same year, Nvidia completed its purchase of Hugging Face, bringing the robot under the umbrella of the GPU manufacturer. This corporate chain means that the devices now benefit from Nvidia’s resources while retaining the open-source ethos established by Pollen.
The robots were trained using Nvidia’s AI development stack, which allowed developers to simulate behaviors such as walking, sitting and standing before the hardware left the factory. According to Pollen, owners can program additional maneuvers and upload them to a shared repository, enabling community-driven expansion of the robot’s capabilities. This model mirrors the broader trend of leveraging large-scale AI platforms to accelerate consumer robotics.
Microducks represent Hugging Face’s second foray into physical AI agents, following the earlier Reachy Mini model. While Reachy targeted research labs, the duck-shaped units appear aimed at a broader audience, blending entertainment with programmable robotics. The convergence of open-source hardware and Nvidia’s processing power illustrates an emerging strategy where major AI firms expand into tangible consumer products.