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Microduck robots tied to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang top 20,000 preorders
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A video of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang playing with a flock of waddling Microduck robots during his GTC Berlin keynote went viral, showing the devices stomping, taking a 'nap,' and somersaulting on voice command. Hugging Face's Clem Delangue said in a tweet that preorders surpassed 20,000 units the next day. The Microducks, produced by Pollen Robotics, which Hugging Face acquired in 2025, are open source and were trained using Nvidia's technology stack, with simulations teaching basic tricks that ship with the robots. Pollen says owners can train new tricks and share them with the community. Delivery is expected in time for Christmas, and Delangue thinks they could become the best-selling robot of the year, possibly not only for kids, since promotional videos also show adults playing with them.
Source report
Earlier this week, a video of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang playing with a flock of waddling Microducks during his keynote at the company's GTC Berlin conference went viral. The robots, stomping their little feet and making tiny R2-D2 noises, sat, fell down dead for a "nap," and somersaulted on voice command.
They were so endearing that by the next day, preorders of the Microducks had surpassed 20,000 units, according to Hugging Face's Clem Delangue, who shared the news in a tweet.
A Contender for Holiday Toy of the Year
The Microducks are expected to be delivered in time for Christmas, meaning these robots might already be on their way to becoming the hottest toy for the holiday season. Delangue believes they could end up being the best-selling robot of the year — and possibly not even for kids. The promotional videos show adults playing with them, too.
Open Source and Community-Driven
Microducks are open source devices produced by Pollen Robotics, a company acquired by Hugging Face in 2025. The GPU giant bought Hugging Face in September, which means Microducks are now an Nvidia product. This is actually Hugging Face's second robot, following the also-cute Reachy Mini.
Microducks were trained using Nvidia's technology stack, wherein simulations of them were taught basic tricks (walk, sit, stand, etc.) that they ship with. Pollen says that owners can train their robots with new tricks and then share them with the community.
A Palate Cleanser After a Tough Week for AI
Here's the video below. Enjoy it as a palate cleanser after the scary black eye the AI industry gave itself this week, as AI involvement was blamed for cyberattack after cyberattack. OK, AI might seriously damage the world. But it can be fun, too. It's hard to watch this video without ordering one.
Source
TechCrunchNeutral / independent