Hugging Face is selling a cute $399 open-source duck robot, Microduck
Hugging Face is taking orders for the Microduck, a $399 tiny open-source duck robot that developers can train at home out of the box.
Hugging Face has introduced the Microduck, a $399 open-source duck-like robot that can waddle, pick objects up, and even roll skate. CEO Clem Delangue described it as an "open-source robot you can teach new tricks with reinforcement learning". At 25 centimeters tall, the Microduck is equipped with a camera, lidar sensors, and two IMUs to perceive its surroundings.
Hugging Face, known for its platform and community of open model weights, acquired French startup Pollen Robotics in April 2025 to develop affordable, open-source AI hardware. The Microduck joins their existing product line, including the Reachy Mini desktop robot. The robot's behaviors can be trained in simulation and directly deployed.
Hugging Face's SDK, simulation, and RL training stack are available on GitHub. Delangue highlighted the privacy benefits of open-source models, stating they are more transparent than "black box systems". The launch of Microduck comes as Hugging Face is reportedly being acquired by Nvidia for $13 billion, and the two companies have been promoting open-source AI together.
However, the introduction of Microduck has raised privacy concerns due to its camera and microphone capabilities.
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