Microduck Preorders Surpass 20,000 Following Nvidia Keynote
A viral demonstration of small robotic ducks has triggered a wave of holiday demand, with tens of thousands of units ordered within a day.
By Mariana Delgado ·
Tension surrounding the upcoming holiday season has shifted toward a specific robotic device following a demonstration by Nvidia's leadership. A video showing Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang interacting with a group of waddling Microduck units during his keynote at the GTC Berlin conference went viral earlier this week. The footage captured the small robots stomping their feet, emitting tiny R2-D2 noises, and performing actions such as sitting, falling down for a nap, or somersaulting upon voice command.
Demand for the units spiked immediately following the presentation. By the following day, preorders for the Microducks had surpassed 20,000 units, a figure reported by Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue. Deliveries are scheduled to arrive in time for Christmas, leading to speculation regarding the device's potential status as the season's premier item.
Delangue has indicated that the Microducks may become the best-selling robot of the year. While the device is designed for children, promotional materials indicate that adults are also purchasing the robots for personal use.
The Microducks are open source devices manufactured by Pollen Robotics, which Hugging Face acquired in 2025. Following Nvidia's acquisition of Hugging Face in September 2025, Pollen Robotics is now part of the Nvidia company structure. This release marks the second robot from Hugging Face, following the Reachy Mini.
The units were trained using Nvidia's technology stack to perform basic tricks such as walking, sitting, and standing. Pollen Robotics states that owners are able to train their robots with new tricks and share these capabilities with the community.
The release of these robots provides a contrast to recent discussions regarding the negative impacts of artificial intelligence, specifically the blame placed on AI involvement for a series of cyberattacks. Despite concerns regarding potential damage from the technology, the video of the Microducks has generated significant interest in ordering the units.
Source: TechCrunch
