Hugging Face Microducks Surge in Preorders After Nvidia Keynote

A viral moment involving Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and a group of small robot pets has triggered a massive surge in consumer interest, with Hugging Face reporting significant preorder volume. The demand for the units has escalated rapidly, moving beyond niche robotics enthusiasts toward a much broader audience.

During his keynote presentation at the company’s GTC Berlin conference, Huang was filmed interacting with a flock of Microducks. The small devices waddle, stomp their feet, and emit sounds described as R2-D2 noises. The video, which circulated widely earlier this week, depicted the robots performing actions such as sitting, falling down for a nap, and performing somersaults upon voice command. The viral nature of the content had an immediate commercial impact.

Following the exposure at the conference, Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue stated in a tweet that preorders for the Microducks had already surpassed 20,000 units. This figure was reported the day after the keynote. Delangue expressed his belief that the product could become the best-selling robot of the year. He also noted that the device is not intended solely for children, as promotional materials feature adults engaging with the units as well.

The units are manufactured by Pollen Robotics, a firm acquired by Hugging Face in 2025. This acquisition created a direct link to Nvidia, as the GPU giant purchased Hugging Face in September. While Pollen Robotics previously released the Reachy Mini, the Microducks represent the second robot produced by Hugging Face since that acquisition.

The development of the Microducks relied heavily on the technology stack provided by Nvidia. Simulations of the devices were utilized to teach the units basic functions, including walking, sitting, and standing. These capabilities are pre-installed on the units that ship to consumers. According to Pollen, the robots are open source devices, allowing owners to train them with new tricks and subsequently share those capabilities with the wider community.

The timing of the product launch places the devices directly into the holiday market. The preordered units are scheduled for delivery ahead of Christmas. This schedule aligns with the viral exposure generated at the conference, positioning the robot pets to potentially lead sales in the consumer robotics category for the remainder of the year.

The commercial success of the Microducks arrives during a period of intense scrutiny regarding artificial intelligence. Earlier this week, the AI industry faced criticism regarding cyberattacks where AI involvement was identified as a factor. The widespread adoption of the Microducks offers a contrasting narrative to that recent news cycle, demonstrating strong consumer interest in physical applications of the technology. The combination of open source accessibility and viral video content appears to be driving a high volume of orders for the holiday season.