Level 1 - Absolute Beginner
Hugging Face made a new robot. It is called Microduck. Hugging Face worked with a robotics company called Pollen Robotics. Microduck looks like a small duck.
Microduck is about 25 centimeters tall. It weighs less than 800 grams. It can walk on two legs. It can sit down and stand back up.
Microduck has a camera. It has a small laser sensor called LiDAR. It has sensors that track movement, called IMUs. It has a beak that can pick up small things.
Microduck costs $399. People can pre-order it now. The first robots will arrive before Christmas 2026. Students and hobbyists can teach it new tricks because its software is free and open.
- robot
- a machine that can move and do tasks, sometimes by itself
- duck
- a bird that swims and often has a flat beak
- motor
- a machine part that makes something move
- sensor
- a part that detects things like light, sound, or distance
- camera
- a device that takes pictures or video
- battery
- a device that stores power to run a machine
- pre-order
- to buy something before it is available, so you get it later
- software
- the programs that tell a computer or robot what to do
Level 2 - Elementary
Hugging Face, a company known for open-source AI tools, and its robotics team Pollen Robotics have released a new robot called Microduck. Pollen Robotics is a French robotics company that Hugging Face bought in 2025. Microduck is shaped like a small duck and costs $399.
The robot is about 25 centimeters tall, roughly 10 inches, and weighs less than 800 grams, under two pounds. It has 15 motors in its legs, head, and neck, which let it walk, sit, crouch, and stand up again if it falls over.
Microduck is packed with sensors. It has a camera, a small LiDAR sensor that measures distance with lasers, and two IMUs that track motion and balance. It also has a moving beak that can pick up small objects, and instead of talking, it communicates through sounds using a built in microphone and speaker. Each robot gets its own permanent audio identity during setup.
Inside, Microduck has 32GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, and it runs for about one hour on a 2,600 mAh battery. It comes in four colors: Cream, Graphite, Lavender, and Sky. Its whole software system, including tools for training it with reinforcement learning, is open source on GitHub, so anyone can teach it new behaviors. Deliveries are expected before Christmas 2026 in North America, Europe, and the UK.
- bipedal
- moving on two legs
- LiDAR
- a sensor that uses laser light to measure distance
- IMU
- a sensor that tracks motion and orientation, short for inertial measurement unit
- reinforcement learning
- a way for a computer program to learn by trying actions and getting feedback
- open source
- software that anyone can see, use, and change for free
- storage
- the space in a device where data and files are kept
- RAM
- a computer part that holds information a device is actively using
- crouch
- to bend the knees and lower the body close to the ground
Level 3 - Intermediate
Hugging Face, the open-source AI platform, and Pollen Robotics, the French robotics team it acquired in 2025, have unveiled Microduck, a $399 bipedal robot built in the shape of a duck. The announcement extends the pair's growing lineup of accessible, hobbyist-friendly robots, following last year's Reachy Mini, an expressive desktop companion robot from the same team.
Despite standing only about 25 centimeters tall and weighing under 800 grams, Microduck packs 15 motors across its legs, head, and neck, enough to let it walk, sit, crouch, and right itself after a fall. An articulated beak allows it to grasp small objects, adding a manipulation feature rarely seen at this price point.
The robot's sensor suite, a built-in camera, a compact LiDAR unit, and two inertial measurement units, gives it awareness of its surroundings and its own orientation. Rather than speaking words, Microduck expresses itself through sound via an onboard microphone and speaker, and each unit is assigned its own permanent audio identity during setup, giving individual robots a distinct voice.
With 32GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and roughly an hour of runtime from its 2,600 mAh battery, Microduck is modestly specced but fully open. Its entire software stack, including a reinforcement-learning training system and a simulation environment, is published on GitHub, letting students, hobbyists, and researchers teach it new behaviors from scratch. Pre-orders are open now in four colors, Cream, Graphite, Lavender, and Sky, with first deliveries targeted before Christmas 2026 across North America, Europe, and the UK.
- articulated
- joined in a way that allows movement or bending
- manipulation
- the act of handling or controlling objects with skill
- sensor suite
- the full set of sensors built into a device
- orientation
- the direction something is facing or positioned in space
- onboard
- built into and carried inside a device
- connectivity
- the ability of a device to connect to networks or other devices
- runtime
- the length of time a device can operate before needing a recharge
- distinct
- clearly different or separate from something else
Level 4 - Advanced
Hugging Face, the open-source machine-learning platform, and Pollen Robotics, the French robotics studio it folded into its operations in 2025, have introduced Microduck, a $399 bipedal robot cast in the unlikely form of a duck. The launch, announced in late August 2026, positions the diminutive machine as a successor of sorts to Reachy Mini, the pair's earlier tabletop companion robot, and as a bid to make embodied, learnable robotics affordable enough for a classroom or a hobbyist's workbench.
The specifications belie the toy-like exterior. Standing roughly 25 centimeters tall and weighing under 800 grams, Microduck houses 15 motors distributed through its legs, head, and neck, sufficient to walk, sit, crouch, and, notably, recover autonomously after toppling over, a capability more commonly associated with far costlier research platforms. An articulated beak extends its repertoire to simple manipulation, letting it retrieve small objects.
Perception is handled by a built-in camera, a compact LiDAR module, and a pair of inertial measurement units, together giving the robot a working sense of both its environment and its own posture. Microduck forgoes speech in favor of expressive sound, produced through an onboard microphone and speaker, and each individual unit is assigned a permanent audio identity during setup, a small touch meant to lend mass-produced hardware something like a personality.
What most distinguishes Microduck from a conventional consumer gadget is its openness. Its complete software stack, a reinforcement-learning training pipeline and an accompanying simulation environment, sits on GitHub for anyone to inspect or modify, turning the robot into a platform rather than a finished product; the reasoning, learning, and behavior are left for the owner to build. Available in four colors, Cream, Graphite, Lavender, and Sky, and running about an hour per charge on a 2,600 mAh battery, Microduck is now open for pre-order, with first units expected to reach customers in North America, Europe, and the UK before Christmas 2026.
- embodied
- given a physical form, as opposed to existing only as software
- diminutive
- very small in size
- belie
- to give a false or misleading impression of something
- repertoire
- the range of skills or abilities something possesses
- perception
- the ability to sense and interpret surroundings
- pipeline
- a connected series of steps or processes that data or a task moves through
- platform
- a base system that others can build additional tools or features on top of
- autonomously
- done independently, without outside control or help
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