Hugging Face is selling a cute $399 open-source duck robot, Microduck

Hugging Face, a platform known for hosting open-source AI models, is selling an affordable duck-shaped robot called the Microduck for $399. The robot can perform various physical tasks like walking, picking up objects with its beak, and roller skating, and its behaviors can be trained using reinforcement learning through an open-source software kit available on GitHub. Hugging Face acquired robotics startup Pollen Robotics to build affordable open-source AI hardware, following up on an earlier product called the Reachy Mini. The company frames open-source robots as better for privacy than proprietary systems controlled by a few organizations, though open-source software does not automatically guarantee that sensitive data from the robot's camera and sensors remains private once users install third-party applications.