Nvidia’s Jensen Huang asks these tiny robot ducks to sit, fall asleep and somersault and the adorable little Microducks do it all on command: What are the viral robots, how much do they cost, key features and more details

A video of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang playing with a flock of waddling Microducks during his keynote at the company’s GTC Berlin conference has gone viral, with the adorable robots reportedly attracting more than 20,000 preorders within a day.

The tiny robots stomp their feet, make sounds reminiscent of R2-D2 from Star Wars, sit down, pretend to die for a nap and perform somersaults on voice command. Their playful antics have sparked interest in the devices, which could emerge as one of the hottest toys of the upcoming holiday season.

Watch viral video here:

Microducks cross 20,000 preorders

Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue said in a post on X that preorders for the Microducks had crossed 20,000 by the day after the video went viral. The robots are expected to be delivered in time for Christmas.

Delangue believes the Microducks could become the best-selling robot of the year. Their appeal may extend beyond children, with promotional videos also showing adults playing with the tiny machines.

What are Microducks and who makes them?

Microducks are open-source robots developed by Pollen Robotics, a company acquired by Hugging Face in 2025. They are the company’s second robotic offering, following the similarly playful Reachy Mini.

The robots were trained using Nvidia’s technology stack. Their developers used simulations to teach them basic movements and tricks, including walking, sitting and standing, which come preloaded on the devices.

Owners can also train their Microducks to perform new tricks and share those skills with the wider community, according to Pollen Robotics.

What is Microduck? Features, price, specifications and more

Microduck is a 25-cm-tall bipedal robot developed by Pollen Robotics, the Bordeaux-based robotics team at Hugging Face. Designed to be both playful and educational, the robot can walk with a waddle, sit, crouch, roller-skate, pick up objects with its beak and recover from several common falling positions.

The company's second consumer robot after Reachy Mini, Microduck combines interactive features with an open-source software stack that allows users to train it to perform new behaviours.

Microduck: Key features and specifications

Microduck comes equipped with 15 motors that control its articulated legs, head and neck. Weighing less than 800 grams, the robot measures 25 cm in height and 14 cm in width.

Its hardware includes a front-facing camera, a compact LiDAR sensor, two inertial measurement units (IMUs) and an articulated beak for grasping objects. It also features microphones, a speaker, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and two NFC antennas.

The robot runs on a Rockchip RK3566 processor with an AI accelerator, supported by 1 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage. Its removable 2,600 mAh battery offers around one hour of runtime, depending on usage.

Microduck comes with seven pre-trained movements and supports a 50 Hz onboard policy loop. A game controller allows users to play with the robot straight out of the box, without writing code.

Microduck price and preorders

Preorders for Microduck opened on August 27, 2026, at an introductory price of $399, excluding taxes and shipping. First deliveries are targeted before Christmas 2026, with North America and Europe set to be the initial markets.

Customers can also purchase additional accessories and development equipment.

• Microduck — $399: Robot, battery, USB-C cable and game controller.
• Charger pack — $39: Dual charger and two additional batteries.
• Dev pack — $119: Spare motors, motor cables, batteries, dual charger, NFC tags, Hugging Face credit, screwdriver and screws.
• Accessory pack — $39: Laser pointer, NFC Polaroid, two rollers, a ball and NFC tags.

Four colours available at launch

Microduck will be available in four printed colourways, with the same underlying hardware across all variants.

• Cream: Cream shells with orange trim and beak.
• Graphite: Graphite shells with yellow trim and beak.
• Lavender: Lavender shells with yellow trim and beak.
• Sky: Sky-blue shells with orange trim and beak.

How does Microduck use AI?

Microduck's software stack includes virtual training environments, reinforcement learning (RL) training scripts and tools, and a workflow for transferring behaviours learned in simulation to the physical robot.

This approach allows users to train new movements and behaviours in a simulated environment before running them on the actual device. Pollen Robotics plans to release the open-source software tools before the first robots are shipped, allowing developers and enthusiasts to experiment with the platform and share their creations.

The robot's mechanical and electronic design files are not included in the open-source software offering.