Hugging Face unveils Microduck open-source bipedal robot

Hugging Face has unveiled Microduck, a new open-source bipedal robot designed for affordable AI development. The device stands 25 centimeters tall, weighs 800 grams, and is priced at USD 399. It features a beak capable of picking up objects, over 15 motors, lidar sensors, and a camera.

Microduck is intended as a development platform rather than a mere consumer toy. It utilizes a Sim-to-Real approach, allowing developers to train movements in virtual MuJoCo physics simulations before deploying the learned policies to the physical hardware. The robot includes balance restoration functions to recover from falls autonomously.

This release aligns with Hugging Face’s broader strategy to integrate open-source AI with accessible hardware, following its April 2025 acquisition of the French startup Pollen Robotics. The company has previously released desktop robots such as Reachy Mini. This hardware push comes amid reports that Hugging Face may be nearing an acquisition by Nvidia at a valuation of approximately USD 13 billion.