Pollen Robotics, a subsidiary of Hugging Face, announced Thursday the launch of Microduck, a $399 bipedal robot duck standing just 25 centimeters tall and designed for hands-on AI training. The Bordeaux-based company describes the diminutive machine as an affordable testbed that ships ready to operate while also supporting reinforcement learning through open-source simulation tools. At under 10 inches in height and weighing roughly 800 grams, Microduck isn't meant to function as a household assistant but rather as an accessible platform for users learning about hardware AI, machine learning, and contemporary robotics capabilities.
The robot comes equipped with 1 GB of RAM, 32 GB of built-in storage, and a 50 Hz onboard policy loop that links its AI brain to sensors for real-time decision-making. A front-mounted camera and integrated LiDAR unit allow Microduck to see objects and gauge distance, enabling it to grasp items like socks and markers with its articulated beak and deposit them in containers. The bot can right itself after being knocked down and comes with optional accessories including wheeled feet for roller skating, a ball, an NFC chip with tags, and a laser pointer it can track. Pollen estimates the robot's lifting capacity maxes out at approximately 100 grams given its compact frame.
According to Pollen representative Santiago Pavon, "Anyone can train new behaviors … in simulation using reinforcement learning," with the company planning to let users share newly developed skills once the complete Microduck system launches later in 2026. Pavon told The Register that Pollen aims to achieve autonomous capabilities such as voice recognition, simultaneous localization and mapping, navigation, and grasping, though he acknowledged the robot's small size will probably limit its gripping abilities. The entire software stack Microduck runs on is open source, though the company has no plans to release the hardware designs publicly, a representative confirmed.
Microduck's debut comes as parent company Hugging Face faces acquisition rumors, with Business Insider reporting that Nvidia has agreed to purchase the AI model hosting platform for roughly $13 billion, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter who said no final agreement had been reached. Pollen Robotics itself became part of Hugging Face only in April 2025, and it remains unclear how a potential Nvidia deal would affect the robotics division. If the acquisition proceeds, it would align with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's public support for open-weight AI models during recent industry debates between frontier labs and open model developers, particularly those based in China. Microduck units are available for preorder now and are scheduled to ship before Christmas 2026. The timing positions low-cost, open-source robotics as a counterweight to proprietary systems, though success will depend on whether a community of developers actually coalesces around shared skill development rather than fragmenting into isolated experiments.