Nvidia CEO's Duck Demo Drives 20,000 Preorders

The AI sector faced a turbulent week defined by cyberattack concerns, but one product stole the spotlight for its cuteness. A clip of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang interacting with a group of Microducks during his GTC Berlin keynote spread rapidly across social media.

The video showed the small robots performing programmed actions, including stomping, falling over for a simulated nap, and somersaulting on voice commands. By the day after the conference, Clem Delangue of Hugging Face reported that preorders had exceeded 20,000 units.

Pollen Robotics manufactures the open source devices. The company was acquired by Hugging Face in 2025, a deal that made the robots part of the Nvidia portfolio following the GPU maker's purchase of Hugging Face in September. The Microducks represent the second robot line from the company, following the earlier release of the Reachy Mini.

The devices are trained using Nvidia's technology stack. Simulations teach the robots basic tricks such as walking, sitting, and standing, which they retain out of the box. Pollen Robotics stated that owners can teach the units new behaviors and share those programs with the wider community.

Delangue suggested the Microducks could become the best-selling robot of the year, potentially appealing to adults as well as children. Promotional materials feature adults playing with the devices, broadening the target demographic beyond the typical toy market.

The company expects to deliver the units in time for Christmas. This timing positions the Microducks to compete as a major holiday item, leveraging the viral attention from the keynote to drive demand before the year ends.