A video of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang interacting with a flock of Microduck robots during his keynote at the company’s GTC Berlin conference circulated widely this week. In the clip the small robots shuffle, emit tiny R2‑D2‑like sounds, sit, feign a “nap,” and perform somersaults on voice command.
Over 20,000 preorders in a day
Clem Delangue of Hugging Face tweeted that preorders for the Microducks exceeded 20,000 units by the day after the video spread. The tweet is dated October 21, 2026.
Hugging Face and partners say Microducks are expected to be delivered in time for Christmas, positioning them as potential holiday bestsellers. Delangue suggested the robots could prove popular with adults as well as children; promotional material shows adults interacting with the devices.
Ownership and product background
Microducks are open-source robots developed by Pollen Robotics. Pollen Robotics was acquired by Hugging Face in 2025. According to the reporting cited with the viral clip, Nvidia completed its acquisition of Hugging Face in September 2026, which places Microduck development within Nvidia’s broader technology ecosystem.
This Microduck release follows Hugging Face’s earlier robot, the Reachy Mini.
Trained in simulation with Nvidia tooling
The basic behaviors shipped with Microducks were taught in simulation using Nvidia’s technology stack; those include walking, sitting, standing and similar basic tricks. Pollen Robotics says owners can teach their robots new tricks and share those behaviors with the community.
NVIDIA RTX Spark also posted a tweet highlighting how AI agents on its platform helped move Microduck behaviors from simulation to the real world: “When @jensenhuang asks for a somersault, you deliver. 🦆 See how AI agents on NVIDIA RTX Spark help bring @huggingface's Microduck from simulation to the real world.”
Why it matters
The episode illustrates how a short, consumer-friendly demonstration can quickly drive demand for a hardware product, especially when tied to widely recognized AI tooling and corporate brands. It also shows the interplay between open-source robotics, community-driven content sharing, and the commercial strategies of major tech acquirers.
Additional notes
- Microducks are positioned as open-source, community-extendable devices.
- The quick surge in preorders highlights strong short-term consumer interest created by viral demos and social media exposure.
