Microduck preorders top 20,000 after CEO demo

A viral video of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang interacting with robotic ducks during his GTC Berlin keynote triggered a surge in consumer demand. By the day following the presentation, preorders for the Microduck exceeded 20,000 units, according to Clem Delangue of Hugging Face.

The devices are open source robots manufactured by Pollen Robotics. The company was acquired by Hugging Face in 2025. Nvidia purchased Hugging Face in September 2026, making the Microduck an asset of the GPU maker.

The robots perform programmed actions such as sitting, falling over, and doing somersaults on voice commands. Pollen Robotics trained the units using Nvidia's technology stack to handle basic movements like walking and standing. Owners can teach the devices new tricks and share those data points with the wider community.

Delangue stated that the Microduck may become the best-selling robot of the year. He noted that promotional materials feature adults playing with the units, suggesting the product may appeal to demographics beyond children.

Delangue expects the hardware to arrive before the Christmas holiday. The launch follows a week in which AI involvement was cited in multiple cyberattacks, providing a contrast to the industry's recent focus on security threats.