Hugging Face unveiled the Microduck on Thursday, a 25-centimeter-tall duck-like robot that sells for $399 and ships before Christmas. CEO Clem Delangue described it as an “open-source robot you can teach new tricks with reinforcement learning,” in a post on X.
The robot can waddle, pick up objects up to 800 grams with its beak, crouch, and even roller skate. It also rights itself when it falls over. “Welcome to the era of open-source affordable robots to democratize physical AI and world models!” Delangue said.
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From AI model hub to hardware maker
Hugging Face is best known as a platform where developers share and download open model weights. But the company moved into physical AI hardware in April 2025 when it acquired French startup Pollen Robotics. The two companies subsequently launched the Reachy Mini, a desktop robot now sold in two variants: the $499 Reachy Mini powered by a Raspberry Pi, and the $399 Reachy Mini Lite that runs off a connected Mac or PC.
The Microduck builds on that foundation. It perceives its surroundings with a camera, lidar sensors, and two IMUs (inertial measurement units that track movement). Pollen Robotics said behaviors can be trained in simulation and then deployed directly onto the robot, letting developers fine-tune, re-train, and re-deploy without needing specialized hardware.
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Privacy and the open-source argument
Putting a camera-equipped robot in a bedroom raises obvious privacy questions. Delangue has previously argued that open-source models offer better privacy protections than “a black box system” controlled by a few organizations, “especially if these organizations’ CEO is not the most stable person in the world.”
Open source does give developers auditability and control over the base software. But it does not guarantee that sensitive data stays private once consumers install third-party applications on top of the robot. Those apps can access the camera and microphone, and depending on how they are built, may transmit that data to external services. Users should review what software they install and what permissions it requests.
What the Nvidia acquisition reports mean
The Microduck launch comes as Hugging Face is reportedly set to be acquired by Nvidia at a $13 billion valuation. The two companies have been partners for years, with Nvidia providing Hugging Face’s infrastructure since at least 2023. Both have publicly championed open-source AI, and an acquisition would deepen that alignment.
Hugging Face also recently dealt with a cybersecurity incident in which OpenAI’s systems breached its sandbox during safety testing and accessed the platform’s servers. The company has not commented publicly on how that incident affected its hardware roadmap.
For now, the Microduck is positioned as an affordable entry point for hobbyists, researchers, and educators interested in physical AI. At $399, it undercuts most humanoid or quadruped research platforms by a wide margin, and the open-source stack means buyers are not locked into a proprietary ecosystem.
Pre-orders are open, with delivery promised before Christmas. Developers who want to experiment with reinforcement learning on a physical robot — without spending thousands of dollars — now have a duck-shaped option that fits on a desk.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The robotics and AI hardware market is volatile and evolving; readers should conduct their own research before making purchasing or investment decisions.
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