Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's Microduck Robot Drives 20,000 Preorders

Consumers looking for a new holiday gift may face a potential shortage if demand for Microduck robots continues to surge. Following a public demonstration by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, preorders for the small, waddling device have exceeded 20,000 units. The company has indicated that units are expected to be delivered in time for Christmas, though the rapid uptake suggests that securing one before the holiday may prove difficult for those who wait.

The spike in interest occurred earlier this week when a video of Huang interacting with the machines went viral. During his keynote at the company's GTC Berlin conference, the CEO was shown issuing voice commands to a flock of the robots. The devices were able to perform a variety of actions, including stomping, sitting, and falling down for a simulated nap. The demonstration also included the robots performing somersaults and emitting sounds similar to R2-D2.

The reaction to the footage was swift. By the following day, Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue stated in a tweet that Microduck preorders had surpassed the 20,000 mark. Delangue has speculated that the Microduck could end up being the best-selling robot of the year. He further noted that the device's appeal may not be limited to children, as promotional videos depicting adults interacting with the robots have also circulated.

The Microduck is an open-source device developed by Pollen Robotics. The ownership of the technology involves a complex chain of corporate acquisitions: Pollen Robotics was acquired by Hugging Face in 2025, and Hugging Face was subsequently acquired by Nvidia in September. Consequently, the device is now part of the Nvidia ecosystem. This release marks the second robot launched by Hugging Face, following the Reachy Mini.

Regarding the technical specifications, the Microduck units were trained using Nvidia's technology stack. Simulations within this framework taught the robots basic tricks such as walking, sitting, and standing, which are included upon delivery. Pollen has stated that owners have the ability to train their own robots with new behaviors and share those commands with the wider community.