Hugging Face’s Microduck Robot Surges in Sales, Powered by Rockchip’s AI Chip

The Microduck robot will launch with a suite of pre‑installed actions, the developers at Hugging Face and Pollen Robotics say.

Pollen Robotics

BEIJING — A new programmable personal robot from a French‑American firm is built around a chip from Shanghai‑listed Rockchip, which incorporates British ARM technology, underscoring the deep integration of global tech supply chains.

Since its launch on Thursday, the colorful Microduck robot from Hugging Face’s French subsidiary Pollen Robotics has sold over 10,000 units, generating revenue above $5 million as of late Tuesday, Hugging Face reports.

Strong demand has already pushed back delivery timelines for new orders beyond the originally promised Christmas 2026 timeframe.

Priced at $399 per unit, the duck‑shaped robots incorporate sensors, motors and on‑device computing powered by Rockchip’s RK3566 chip. The chip uses technology licensed from British semiconductor ARM, according to Rockchip.

Rockchip serves as a key vendor for on‑device AI, operating locally rather than in the cloud, according to Lian Jye Su, chief analyst at Omdia. Its chips are frequently employed for machine‑vision tasks such as object detection and image recognition.

“Although the chips have a large market presence, they are not built for complex edge AI applications because they lack sufficient compute resources,” Su observed. Such capabilities enable smartphones, robots, and other devices to run generative AI securely without transmitting data online.

Rockchip reported a 40% year‑on‑year rise in first‑half operating revenue to CN¥2.88 billion ($428 million), with net profit (excluding one‑time items) jumping more than 60%.

Weighing 1.76 lb (800 g), the Microduck functions as both an interactive toy and a development platform. Its open‑source software enables learning from virtual simulations and goal‑oriented instructions.

This is the second robot from France‑based Pollen Robotics, which was acquired by Hugging Face a year ago. The pair’s inaugural robot, released last spring, also moved more than 10,000 units, according to Pollen Robotics.

A company representative explained that Rockchip was chosen for the Microduck because of its on‑board 1 TOPS NPU. TOPS (tera operations per second) quantifies AI computing performance; Nvidia’s upcoming Jetson Orin Nano 2 robotics chip is slated to deliver 78 TOPS of compute power.

Prior to the Microduck launch, The Information reported that Nvidia had agreed to acquire Hugging Face for $12.9 billion. Neither firm responded to a request for comment.

Hugging Face co‑founder Thomas Wolf posted on social media Monday that stakeholders are beginning to monitor the Microduck supply chain, noting the surge in order volume.

Competitors are also introducing comparable personal robots aimed at premium consumer segments.

Zeroth unveiled a child‑sized humanoid robot this summer priced at 8,888 yuan, touting virtual simulation learning features. The model has garnered 247 pre‑orders on JD.com in China, and the firm will debut its open‑source robotics system on Wednesday.

Separately, Mondo Robotics’ Wall‑E‑inspired cameraman robot has exceeded its Kickstarter goal by more than 80×, raising over $50,000 ahead of the Sept. 6 deadline. Early‑bird units, resembling a GoPro on wheels, are priced from $549, with shipments slated to begin in October.

—CNBC’s April Roach and Kai Nicol-Schwarz contributed to this report.

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