Nvidia's Microduck robots passed 20,000 preorders within a day of CEO Jensen Huang demoing them at the company's GTC Berlin keynote, according to Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue. The waddling robots sat, played dead for a nap, and performed somersaults on voice command during the stage demo, and video of the sequence went viral.
The Microducks are open-source devices made by Pollen Robotics, a company Hugging Face acquired in 2025. Nvidia in turn bought Hugging Face in September, pulling the robotics line under its umbrella. It is Hugging Face's second robot, following the Reachy Mini.
The robots were trained in simulation using Nvidia's technology stack, shipping with basic motions such as walking, sitting, and standing. Pollen says owners can train their units with new tricks and share them with the community.
Key facts
- 01Preorders of Hugging Face's Microduck robots passed 20,000 units the day after Jensen Huang's GTC Berlin keynote demo.
- 02Microducks are open-source devices built by Pollen Robotics, which Hugging Face acquired in 2025.
- 03Nvidia acquired Hugging Face in September, making the Microduck line part of Nvidia's portfolio.
- 04The robots were trained in simulation using Nvidia's technology stack and ship with basic tricks like walk, sit, and stand.
- 05Deliveries are expected in time for Christmas.
Deliveries are expected in time for Christmas. Delangue said the Microducks could end up being the best-selling robot of the year, and noted the promotional videos show adults playing with them, too.
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