1 of 11 lots claimed
Your brand, on my Microduck.
Ten spots on a 25 cm open-source robot, laser-etched. Plus an eleventh lot: the right to decide what the Microduck is called.
$90
of $500 goal
Tap a number for the zone, its size and what it’s going for.
The auction, live.
Every lot shows its own standing bid. Small from $30 · Medium from $50 · Large from $90, with a premium on the crown and the left flank. Naming rights open at $300.
| Spot | Size | Held by | Current bid | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
5Left torso | L4 × 2 cm | $901 bid | Outbid | |
11Name the duck | Naming rights | Open | $300opening price | Claim |
1Top of the head | L4 × 2 cm | Open | $120opening price | Claim |
4Right torso | M3 × 1.5 cm | Open | $55opening price | Claim |
6Back torso | M3 × 1.5 cm | Open | $55opening price | Claim |
2Right of the head | M3 × 1.5 cm | Open | $50opening price | Claim |
3Left of the head | M3 × 1.5 cm | Open | $50opening price | Claim |
9Right foot | S1.5 × 1.5 cm | Open | $32opening price | Claim |
10Left foot | S1.5 × 1.5 cm | Open | $32opening price | Claim |
7Right thigh | S1.5 × 1.5 cm | Open | $30opening price | Claim |
8Left thigh | S1.5 × 1.5 cm | Open | $30opening price | Claim |
How it works.
- 1
Pick a spot
Ten zones on a 25 cm robot: three on the head, three on the torso, both thighs, both feet. Or take lot 11 and name the whole duck. Sizes and opening prices are listed below.
- 2
Bid, with a deposit
You put down 20% through Stripe to make the bid real. The moment someone outbids you, that deposit is refunded automatically — you don't have to ask. Win, and the balance is due when the duck lands.
- 3
It gets etched
When the auction closes I laser-engrave the winning logos onto the duck and post the whole thing — the engraving, the failures, the duck skating around with your logo on it.
On the laser: engraving is the plan because it’s permanent — it can’t peel off in a bag. I’ll test on spare shells first. If the laser scorches, warps or weakens any part of the robot, that spot gets a die-cut vinyl decal instead, same size, same place, and I’ll say publicly that I did it. The duck is built for this either way — it ships with a sheet of stickers.
Where the money goes.
The first $500 buys the duck — $399 plus tax and shipping. That part I’ll actually do. After that it goes on things a robot duck may or may not need, such as:
- Roller skates, because it ships able to skate but not with skates
- Duck clothes — a tiny hoodie, tiny sunglasses, a tiny hi-vis vest for job sites
- Tokens, to feed the Microduck
- Spare shells to practise the engraving on before touching the real one
- Compute, for training it to do something it definitely shouldn't
- The charging cables it is going to chew through
- A second duck, eventually, so the first one has someone to skate with
- Whatever else a robot duck turns out to need
I’m deliberately not promising any of these at any particular number. Prices move, ducks are unpredictable, and a funding tier I have to honour eighteen months from now is how a fun thing becomes a chore. The duck is the commitment. The rest is vibes.
The duck.
The Microduck is a 25 cm open-source biped from Pollen Robotics and Hugging Face. 800 grams, fifteen motors, a camera, LiDAR and two IMUs, running a 50 Hz policy loop onboard. It ships knowing seven moves and comes with the full RL stack, so you train new ones in simulation and push them straight to the robot.
It costs $399. I don’t have $399 lying around for a robot duck, so here we are.
- Height
- 25 cm
- Weight
- 800 g
- Motors
- 15
- Sensors
- Camera, LiDAR, two IMUs
- Onboard loop
- 50 Hz policy
- Ships knowing
- 7 pre-trained moves
- Price
- $399, open source
- Made by
- Pollen Robotics / Hugging Face
The four stock colourways. Mine will be the one covered in your logos. Photo: Pollen Robotics / Hugging Face.
Where your logo ends up.
This is the duck as Pollen Robotics shot it. Picture a small engraved wordmark on the left flank in every one of these.
Photography by Pollen Robotics / Hugging Face, used to show the product. This site isn’t affiliated with either.
Questions.
Is this real?
Yes. Hugging Face and Pollen Robotics opened pre-orders for the Microduck — a $399 open-source 25 cm biped that walks, falls over, gets back up, and roller-skates. I want one. This is how I'm paying for it.
Laser engraving, on a plastic robot?
That's the plan, and it's the plan because engraving is permanent — it can't peel off in a bag. I'll test on spare shells first. If the laser scorches, warps, or weakens the part, I'll do die-cut vinyl stickers instead and say so publicly. Either way your logo goes on the duck, in the spot you paid for, at the size you paid for.
Where does the money actually go?
First $500 covers the duck: $399 plus tax and shipping. That part is a real commitment. Past that it goes on skates, duck clothes, spare shells to practise engraving on, and whatever else a robot duck turns out to need. I'm deliberately not tying any of it to a funding tier — see the list below.
What does winning get me?
Your logo engraved on the duck at your spot's size. Your name and a link on this page for as long as it's up. And appearances in whatever I post — the duck is going to be filmed a lot.
I can really name it?
Lot 11, and it's the most expensive thing on the board for a reason. Win it and you choose what the duck is called — I use that name on this site, in every video, and every time someone at a meetup asks me what it is. Same approval rule as the logos: nothing hateful, nothing scammy, nothing that gets me in trouble. Otherwise it's yours, and I'll live with it.
How do outbids work?
The auction runs 7 days, and every spot runs its own race inside it. To take one you have to beat the standing bid by at least $5. The moment someone outbids you, your deposit is refunded automatically — the site does it, not me, so it happens in seconds rather than whenever I next check my email. And if a bid lands in the last five minutes on a spot, that spot's clock extends by five minutes, so nobody wins by sniping at the buzzer.
Can any brand bid?
I approve every logo by hand before it goes anywhere near the laser. Nothing hateful, nothing scammy, nothing adult. If I decline you, the deposit comes straight back — no argument, no explanation owed.
What if the duck never ships?
Pre-orders are slated to ship before Christmas 2026. If Hugging Face cancels the product outright, everyone gets refunded in full, including winners who already paid a balance.