Hugging Face’s new robot is an adorable rollerskating duck
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Hugging Face’s Pollen Robotics has opened preorders for Microduck, a one-eyed biped robot standing just under 10 inches tall. The robot can rollerskate, pick up small objects, play with a ball and react to nearby activity, while its open-source software allows owners to adapt and retrain it for new behaviours.
Microduck costs $399 and will be offered in cream, graphite, lavender and sky blue, with shipping planned before Christmas 2026. It runs on a Rockchip RK3566 processor and includes a camera, motion sensors and LiDAR; it can be operated with a game controller or laser pointer, and each unit receives a permanent, individual sound-based voice.
- Hugging Face has opened Microduck preorders for $399.
- The small robot can move, interact and rollerskate.
- Its open-source software supports user-made new behaviours.
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Hugging Face is a technology company best known for helping developers share and use artificial intelligence software. It owns Pollen Robotics, a French robotics business that makes machines designed to work alongside people.
Small robots such as Microduck combine cameras, sensors and motors to move around and respond to their surroundings. They are often used to test how artificial intelligence can be put into physical devices, rather than kept only in computers or online services.
The robot’s software is open source, meaning its owners can inspect, alter and share the code that controls it. That can allow developers and hobbyists to adapt a basic robot for different uses, while also raising questions about how safely and reliably modified machines operate.
More coverage
- TechCrunch — Hugging Face is selling a cute $399 open-source duck robot, Microduck
- The Register — Hugging Face offers $399 robot duck to help you quack the AI code
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