Microduck is a compact open-source bipedal robot designed to let developers train, test and deploy reinforcement-learning behaviours on physical hardware.
Hugging Face has unveiled Microduck, a 25-centimetre-tall open-source robot developed with its robotics subsidiary Pollen Robotics. The duck-shaped robot is designed as an accessible platform for experimenting with physical AI and reinforcement learning, allowing developers to teach it new behaviours and deploy them on the robot. Microduck can walk, crouch, recover from several common falls, pick up objects weighing up to 800 grams with its beak and even roller-skate.
The robot uses a camera, lidar sensors and two inertial measurement units (IMUs) to perceive its surroundings and monitor movement. Its compact design weighs less than 800 grams, making it small enough for desktop use while still allowing it to move through its environment. The design focuses more on physical interaction and movement than conversational interaction, distinguishing it from Pollen Robotics’ earlier Reachy Mini platform.
Microduck’s open-source approach extends beyond the physical robot. Its software development kit, simulation environment and complete reinforcement-learning training stack are available on GitHub. Developers can train behaviours in simulation, transfer them to the physical robot, evaluate the results and then retrain and redeploy the behaviour. This workflow is intended to make experimentation with physical AI more accessible and allow developers to share robotics behaviours in a manner similar to sharing AI models.
Pollen Robotics has positioned Microduck as a platform for learning how AI behaviours move from simulation into real-world machines. Rather than attempting to solve every robotics challenge, the project is intended to provide developers, researchers and enthusiasts with a relatively accessible physical platform for experimenting with movement, reinforcement learning and robot control. The open software stack also gives users greater visibility into how behaviours are developed and deployed.
Microduck is available for pre-order at $399, before taxes and shipping, with first deliveries targeted before Christmas 2026 in North America, Europe and the UK. It is offered in four colour options: Cream, Graphite, Lavender and Sky. The launch expands Hugging Face and Pollen Robotics’ focus on open-source AI hardware, following the earlier Reachy Mini, with Microduck specifically targeting physical AI experimentation and reinforcement-learning development.
