Hugging Face’s open-source Microduck robot passed 20,000 preorders after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang demonstrated the waddling machines at GTC Berlin on October 21, according to Hugging Face co-founder Clément Delangue.
During the keynote, Huang asked the duck-shaped robots to sit, stand, lie down for a “nap” and try somersaults. The playful demonstration drew attention online. Delangue reported the preorder milestone the next day.
The number refers to advance orders, not robots that had already been delivered. Microduck is 25 centimeters tall and is made by Pollen Robotics, Hugging Face’s robotics team. It was listed for preorder at $399 before taxes and shipping.
The small, two-legged robot has 15 motors, a camera and sensors. It can walk, sit, crouch and get back up after some falls. Its software is open source.
This lets owners try training it to make new movements in a computer simulation and then transfer those movements to the robot. Pollen Robotics said it was aiming to make the first deliveries before Christmas 2026. That schedule is a target, not a guarantee.