20,000 Preorders: Microduck Robots Surge Following Keynote Appearance
The small open-source robots have seen massive demand after being showcased at a major technology conference.
By Rebecca Dawson ·
Preorders for a small, waddling robot have exceeded 20,000 units in the days following a viral video from a major technology conference. The surge in demand for the Microduck occurred after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was shown interacting with a group of the devices during his keynote address at the GTC Berlin conference earlier this week. Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue confirmed the preorder total in a post on X.
The footage from the conference depicted the small robots responding to voice commands to perform a variety of actions. The devices were shown walking, sitting, and executing a maneuver described as a “nap,” during which they would fall over. The robots also produced a series of small, electronic sounds during the demonstration.
The units are expected to be delivered ahead of the holiday season, leading to speculation regarding their potential popularity as a gift. Delangue has suggested the device could become the best-selling robot of the year, noting that promotional materials for the product feature adults interacting with the robots in addition to children.
The Microduck is an open-source device developed by Pollen Robotics. The company was acquired by Hugging Face in 2025, a firm that was subsequently acquired by Nvidia in September. Pollen is a subsidiary of Nvidia as a result of these transactions. The Microduck represents the second robot released by Hugging Face, following the Reachy Mini.
The development of the Microduck relied on Nvidia’s technology stack. Basic behaviors, such as walking, sitting, and standing, were taught to the units through simulations, which are the functions the devices ship with. Pollen has stated that owners are able to train their robots to perform new tricks and share those capabilities with the wider community.
The demonstration of the Microduck occurred during a period of intense scrutiny for the artificial intelligence industry. Earlier this week, the sector faced criticism regarding cybersecurity, with reports indicating that AI involvement was cited in multiple cyberattacks. The release of the Microduck offered a contrasting demonstration of the technology’s application in consumer robotics.
Source: TechCrunch
