Microduck Is a Robot Built to Fall Down—and Learn New Tricks
The open-source robot can be retrained with reinforcement learning and ships before Christmas 2026, Hugging Face said.
- On Thursday, Hugging Face and Pollen Robotics unveiled the Microduck, a 9.8-inch tall one-eyed bipedal robot available for preorder at $399. The company plans to begin shipping before Christmas 2026.
- Hugging Face acquired French startup Pollen Robotics in April 2025 to build affordable, open-source AI hardware. The strategy enables developers to train behaviors in simulation and deploy them directly on the robot.
- Equipped with 15 motors and a Rockchip RK3566 processor, the Microduck offers approximately 1 hour of battery life. The SDK is available on GitHub, allowing developers to retrain the bot with new behaviors.
- CEO Clem Delangue told TechCrunch that open-source models are superior to "a black box system" controlled by a few organizations. He emphasized privacy advantages for users over proprietary alternatives.
- This launch occurs alongside reports that Nvidia is acquiring Hugging Face at a $13 billion valuation. Nvidia has provided the startup's infrastructure since at least 2023, positioning the company centrally in open-source AI.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Microduck is a robot built to fall down—and learn new tricks
Sorry, cats and dogs, there’s another goofy pet vying for your owner’s attention, and this one doesn’t have fur or stink up the apartment. In fact, this companion is not even alive. It’s a lampshade-sized, armless, bipedal robot named Microduck. And while other robot pets have come and gone, AI data science company Hugging Face says that their Microduck is capable of learning new tricks. “It’s a tiny $399 open-source robot you can teach new tri…
Forget Disney’s BDX Droid — the $399 Hugging Face Microduck robot is even more adorable and versatile thanks to Lidar, NFC and, yes, roller skates
Microduck is Pollen Robotics' new programmable robotIt looks like a cute robo-duck, and has some adorable, pre-baked interactionsIt's up for pre-order priced at $399, and it should ship in time for ChristmasIf the measure of a successful robot is cuteness, Microduck could be the most successful bot in ages. Unveiled this week by Pollen Robotics (a division of AI company Hugging Face — yes, that Hugging Face), Microduck is a 25-centimeter-tall ed…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
