Nvidia’s Microducks: what they are and why everyone loves them

Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, one of the most important companies in the tech sector and the highest market-cap company in the world, took the stage at the company’s annual conference accompanied by a small group of duck-shaped robots. The robots, called Microduck, waddle as they walk, tap their feet on the floor, and emit cute electronic sounds.

On voice command, the Microducks sit down, drop to the ground to “take a nap,” or perform a somersault: a simple repertoire of actions, but one that was enough to win over the audience — it’s no coincidence that the demonstration video went viral almost immediately. The commercial impact was felt right away: the day after the presentation, Microduck pre-orders had surpassed 20,000 units.

Microduck orders are expected to be delivered by Christmas, which could make these little robots one of the most sought-after gifts of the upcoming holiday season. The target audience, however, would not consist solely of children. In the promotional videos released by the company, adults are also shown playing with the robots, a sign that the product is aiming for a potentially broader market than that of toys.

Where the Microducks come from

Behind the Microducks is Pollen Robotics, a company specializing in AI-powered robotic devices that became a partner in 2025 of one of the most widely used platforms among AI developers, Hugging Face. The latter was recently acquired by Nvidia for nearly 13 billion dollars. The deal is part of Jensen…