GoKawiilHugging Face's Pollen Robotics opens $399 pre-orders for Microduck biped robot
Pollen Robotics, owned by Hugging Face, has opened pre-orders for Microduck, a 25cm, sub-800g bipedal robot priced at $399. Unlike the stationary Reachy Mini, Microduck is built for mobility, packing 15 motors, a camera, LiDAR, two IMUs and an articulated beak so it can walk, sit, crouch, recover from falls and even roller-skate.
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By keeping the robot small and lightweight, Hugging Face lowers the safety and cost risks of letting AI models learn locomotion through repeated trial and error, including falls, making embodied AI experimentation accessible to hobbyists rather than just well-funded labs. It also signals a push to make open, affordable hardware platforms for testing physical AI behaviors like balance and obstacle recovery.
- Microduck costs $399 and is now available for pre-order from Pollen Robotics.
- Its small, lightweight biped design lets it fall and recover safely, ideal for AI mobility experimentation.
- It complements Reachy Mini by focusing on movement rather than stationary human-robot interaction.
Raspberry Pi 5 Single Board Computer — If Microduck has you itching to tinker with AI-powered robotics, the Raspberry Pi 5 is the classic brain for hobbyist bots, handling camera input, sensors and motor control projects. It's the go-to board for developers who want to experiment with movement, obstacle handling and vision before their own robot takes its first steps.
See Raspberry Pi 5 Single Board Computer on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: engadget.com — Matt Tate, 2026-08-27
Published there as: “HuggingFace and Pollen Robotics open pre-orders for the $399 Microduck”
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