Microduck
Last updated:
Microduck is a 25 cm tall, duck-like biped from Pollen Robotics, the Hugging Face robotics team, designed as a hands-on way to learn and experiment with physical AI. It weighs about 800 g, has 15 motors, a camera, LiDAR and two IMUs, and an articulated beak that can grab small objects. It ships with seven trained behaviors, including walking, sitting and standing, kicking, grabbing, roller skating and getting back up after a fall, and it can be driven with the included game controller. The software development kit, MuJoCo simulation and full reinforcement-learning training stack are open source under Apache-2.0, so owners can train new behaviors in simulation or on Hugging Face Jobs and deploy them straight to the robot. Pollen opened pre-orders on August 27, 2026 at $399 before taxes and shipping, with first deliveries targeted before Christmas 2026.
Quick Overview & Key Facts
Microduck is a robot made by Pollen Robotics in France, launched in 2026 and built for learning reinforcement learning and sim-to-real robotics; classroom and maker projects; playing with ball and roller skates and laser pointer; publishing and sharing trained policies on Hugging Face. Its estimated price is USD 399.
- Dimensions
- 25 cm tall (biped)
- Weight
- About 800 g
- Mobility
- Bipedal (legged) desktop robot
- Handles
- Very light objects such as a ball, grabbed with its articulated beak
- Charging time
- 1–2 hours
- Sensors
- Camera, LiDAR and two IMUs; joint motor feedback
- Operating environment
- Indoor floors and desks at home, in classrooms and in labs
What Can Microduck Do?
Core operational tasks and activities demonstrated or performed by Microduck.
Real-World Applications of Microduck
Industries, working environments, and deployment suitability for Microduck.
Microduck Capabilities
Inherent physical, perceptual, and cognitive abilities built into Microduck.
Image Gallery
Below images are from Pollen Robotics's official sources
Review Videos
Watch expert reviews and demonstrations of this robot
Robot Specifications
More Robots from Pollen Robotics
Explore other robots from this manufacturer
More Robots
Discover more robots in the same category
Robots From Other Categories
Discover complementary robots from different categories that work well together
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to common questions about this robot
Q1. What is Microduck, and what problem is it designed to solve?
Microduck is a 25 cm duck-like biped robot from Pollen Robotics (Hugging Face) that you can program and teach new tricks, meant for learning and experimenting with physical AI.
Q2. What are the main capabilities and key features of Microduck?
It ships with trained behaviors such as walking, sitting and standing, kicking, grabbing with its beak, roller skating and getting back up, plus a camera, LiDAR, two IMUs, an included controller and an open-source software stack.
Q3. Who is Microduck built for, and which industries can benefit from it?
It is aimed at students, makers, robotics learners and developers who want an affordable robot to train with reinforcement learning, as well as fans of cute robots.
Q4. Is Microduck a commercial product or still a research prototype?
Microduck is a commercial product that opened for pre-order in August 2026; its software is open source and its hardware is not.
Q5. Is Microduck currently available for purchase, and when is it expected to ship?
Yes, for pre-order at $399 before taxes and shipping, with first deliveries targeted before Christmas 2026 in North America, Europe and the UK.
Q6. How does Microduck actually work in real-world environments?
Behaviors are trained in the MuJoCo simulator with reinforcement learning, then deployed to the robot, which runs the policies on board at 50 Hz and is managed with the robotctl tool.
Q7. When was Microduck announced or officially launched?
Pollen Robotics unveiled Microduck on August 27, 2026.
Q8. How is Microduck different from other robots in the same category?
Unlike most toy robots, Microduck comes with its full open-source training stack so owners can create new behaviors, and unlike larger humanoids it costs $399.
Q9. Does Microduck require additional development or customization after purchase?
No, but you can: the SDK, simulator and training stack are open source, and the Dev pack adds spare motors and cables.
Q10. What is the future roadmap or planned upgrades for Microduck?
Pollen and Hugging Face say owners can train, share and publish new behaviors; no further roadmap has been published.
Rating and Reviews
Share your experience and help others decide!
Loading...
User Reviews
No user reviews. Be the first one to review!
User Comments (No Login needed)
Share your thoughts, experiences, or questions about this robot.
Comments are reviewed before posting.