Pollen Robotics Opens Pre-orders for Microduck, a 25cm Bipedal Robot That Learns Movements via Reinforcement Learning, for $399

Pollen Robotics has announced the "Microduck," a duck-shaped bipedal robot, and has opened pre-orders. The unit features a compact 25cm design and is priced at $399. For movement learning, it employs an approach specialized in reinforcement learning, allowing the robot to learn actions such as walking through trial and error. The company is releasing the SDK and simulator as open source, providing an environment where developers can freely perform customizations and validations. Unlike large-scale robots, the company emphasizes the ability to safely experiment in familiar environments such as homes and classrooms, positioning the product as a "platform for embodied AI."