[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah ] “Microduck,” a small robot demonstrated on stage by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, has become a hot topic and surpassed 20,000 pre-orders. Its wobbly gait and ability to perform somersaults in response to voice commands have made it a hit online. The developer has even suggested that it could become the best-selling robot of the year, going beyond just being a popular Christmas season item.
The
Clément Delange, CEO of Hugging Face, revealed on the 22nd (local time) that pre-orders surged after MicroDuck was demonstrated during NVIDIA’s GTC Berlin keynote. He wrote on X that cumulative pre-orders are expected to exceed 20,000 units, adding, “It might even become the best-selling robot of 2026.”
The demonstration video showed robots tapping their tiny feet and emitting electronic sounds as they sat down, collapsed as if asleep, and performed somersaults in response to voice commands. Interest grew rapidly as the video spread quickly online. However, the 20,000 units do not represent new orders placed just one day after the demonstration, but rather cumulative pre-orders received since last August.
Microduck is an open-source bipedal robot developed by Pollen Robotics, a French robotics company acquired by Hugging Face in 2025. It stands 25 cm tall, weighs approximately 800 g, and costs $399 (about 530,000 won), excluding shipping and taxes. The developer aims to ship the robots by Christmas, making it a popular choice for holiday gifts.
It can walk, sit, stand up, kick a small ball, and pick up objects with its beak; it can also get back up on its own if it falls. A key feature is that users can teach it new movements, rather than simply watching pre-programmed actions. The promotional video shows not only children but also adults interacting with the robot, highlighting its dual nature as both a toy and a development tool.
Microduck learned basic movements in a virtual simulation environment using NVIDIA’s technology. Users can teach it new movements and share the results with other users. Since the software and learning tools are open-source, developers and robot enthusiasts can modify its functions and experiment with new movements on their own.
NVIDIA announced an agreement to acquire Hugging Face last September.
The scale of pre-orders for MicroDuck is also drawing attention within the humanoid robot market. China’s Unitree reported selling and delivering more than 5,500 humanoid robots last year, while market research firm Omdia estimated AjiBot’s shipments last year at 5,168 units.
Since MicroDuck is a relatively inexpensive, small robot designed for developers, it is difficult to make a direct comparison of sales volume with other humanoid robots, which are predominantly used for industrial and research purposes. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), global sales of consumer robots reached 34.2 million units last year.
MicroDuck’s popularity demonstrates that demand extends beyond simply purchasing and using robots as finished products; users also want to teach them movements and experiment with new functions on their own.
