Hugging Face robot duck preorders surpass 20,000 after Nvidia demo
Clem Delangue confirmed the surge in orders following Jensen Huang's keynote appearance in Berlin.
By Sarah Montgomery ·
A viral video of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang interacting with a flock of small robot ducks has driven preorders for the devices past the 20,000 mark. The footage captured Huang playing with the Microducks during his keynote address at the GTC Berlin conference earlier this week. In the clip, the robots stomp their feet, emit small mechanical sounds, and perform tricks such as sitting, falling over, and somersaulting upon voice command.
Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue stated on Twitter that preorders exceeded 20,000 units by the day after the keynote. The devices are manufactured by Pollen Robotics, a company acquired by Hugging Face in 2025. Hugging Face was subsequently purchased by Nvidia in September, making the Microducks a product of the GPU maker.
The Microducks are open source devices trained using Nvidia's technology stack. Simulations of the robots were taught basic movements, including walking, sitting, and standing, which they retain out of the box. Pollen Robotics says owners can teach the devices new behaviors and share those custom routines with other users.
Delangue believes the Microducks could become the best-selling robot of the year, potentially appealing to adults as well as children. Promotional materials feature adults playing with the units. Hugging Face has previously released another robot, the Reachy Mini.
The company expects to deliver the Microducks in time for the Christmas holiday season. The surge in orders follows a week in which the AI industry faced scrutiny over its role in several cyberattacks.
