20,000 Microducks preordered after Nvidia CEO's playful GTC stunt

Hugging Face announced that preorders for its Microduck robots have surpassed 20,000 units following a viral video of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang interacting with the devices.

The clip showed Huang playing with a group of the small robots during his keynote at the GTC Berlin conference earlier this week. The video captured the units stomping, falling over for programmed naps, and performing somersaults on voice command. Clem Delangue, head of Hugging Face, confirmed the preorder count in a tweet the day after the event.

Pollen Robotics, the manufacturer behind the Microducks, was acquired by Hugging Face in 2025. Hugging Face itself was purchased by Nvidia in September 2026, making the Microducks part of the GPU giant's portfolio. This marks the second robotic product for Hugging Face, following the Reachy Mini.

The robots are built on an open-source platform and were trained using Nvidia's technology stack. Simulations taught the devices basic tricks such as walking, sitting, and standing, which are included at launch. Pollen Robotics states that owners can teach their units new behaviors and share those commands with the wider community.

Hugging Face expects to deliver the Microducks in time for Christmas. Delangue suggested the device could become the best-selling robot of the year, noting that promotional materials feature adults using the toys alongside children.

The preorder surge occurred against the backdrop of recent cyberattacks attributed to AI involvement, providing a lighter moment for an industry focused on complex technical challenges.