The Microduck is the latest creation from Hugging Face, which acquired French startup Pollen Robotics in April 2025 to build affordable, open-source AI hardware.

The Microduck is a small, 25-centimeter-tall robot that can perform various tasks such as waddling, picking up objects with its beak (up to 800 grams), getting back up when it falls, crouching, and even roller skating. For related coverage, explore our detailed analysis on Technology and Digital Systems.

Meet the Microduck Robot

According to Clem Delangue, CEO of Hugging Face, the Microduck is an “open-source robot you can teach new tricks with reinforcement learning.”

The Microduck perceives the world with a camera, lidar sensors, and two IMUs (inertial measurement units that measure and report an object’s movement).

Developers can train the bot’s behaviors in simulation and directly deploy it on the robot, fine-tuning it, retraining it, and redeploying it as needed.

Perception and Sensing Capabilities

Pollen Robotics noted that while open-source gives developers auditability and control, it doesn’t provide a guarantee that sensitive data remains private after consumers start installing software applications on top of the model.

These apps can access the bot’s cameras and microphones and send that data to external services, raising concerns about data privacy. Future Implications The Microduck is part of Hugging Face's efforts to democratize physical AI and world models, making affordable robotics accessible to developers worldwide.

As the startup community gathers for a pivotal question: How do you build sustainably in the AI era?, the Microduck robot represents an exciting step towards this goal.

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Hugging Face unveiled the Microduck on Thursday, a cute little duck-like robot that sells for $399 — and ships before Christmas.

Clem Delangue, CEO of Hugging Face, stated the Microduck is an “open-source robot you can teach new tricks with reinforcement learning.” The 25-centimeter-tall duck can waddle, pick things up with its beak (up to 800 grams), get back up when it falls, crouch, and even roller skate.

“Welcome to the era of open-source affordable robots to democratize physical AI and world models!” Delangue said. raw footage pic.twitter.com/HUTKEb9bXT Hugging Face is best known as a platform and community where developers go for open model weights. However, the company acquired French startup Pollen Robotics in April 2025 to build affordable, open source AI hardware.

A couple of months later, the two launched Reachy Mini , a small desktop robot . Today, they sell the $499 Reachy Mini, which is powered The new Microduck perceives the world with a camera, lidar sensors, and two IMUs (inertial measurement units that measure and report an object’s movement). Pollen Robotics noted that the Microduck’s behaviors can be trained in simulation and directly deployed on the robot.

Developers can then fine-tune the bot, retrain it, and redeploy it. The SDK (software development kit), simulation, and full RL training stack are available on GitHub.