What happened
This week's Video Friday from IEEE Spectrum robotics collects a variety of robot videos, with a featured spotlight on a new compact robot called Microduck.
Microduck is a 25 cm, 780 g robot that waddles, falls, gets back up, and learns new tricks. It packs 15 degrees of freedom, a front camera, an 8x8 LiDAR, two IMUs, microphones, a speaker, NFC, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Out of the box, it can walk, sit, crouch, roller skate, pick up objects with its articulated beak, and recover from falls on its own.
The robot can be driven with a game controller, accepts accessories and NFC-tagged objects, runs autonomous behaviors, and can be gathered with others for races and football. Its software is fully open source, with pre-orders at $399 and shipping before Christmas. The roundup also notes that NVIDIA paid US$12.9 billion for the company that acquired Pollen Robotics, suggesting a connection to Microduck.
Why it matters
Microduck's low $399 price and open-source software could make advanced robotics accessible to hobbyists, educators, and researchers, lowering the barrier to experimentation.
Including LiDAR, multiple sensors, and autonomous capabilities in a small, affordable robot signals a trend toward feature-rich platforms at consumer-friendly prices.
The reported NVIDIA acquisition hints at growing commercial interest in agile, versatile robots like Microduck, potentially accelerating development and adoption in the robotics sector.
Key facts
Microduck is a 25 cm, 780 g robot with 15 degrees of freedom, a front camera, 8x8 LiDAR, two IMUs, mics, speaker, NFC, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
Out of the box, Microduck walks, sits, crouches, roller skates, picks up objects with its articulated beak, and recovers from falls.
Microduck is available for pre-order at $399, ships before Christmas, and its software is fully open source.
What to watch next
Watch for Microduck shipments before Christmas and the community projects that emerge around its open-source software.
Expect IEEE Spectrum's Video Friday to continue featuring new robotics videos, including DARPA Lift Challenge and other innovations mentioned in this week's roundup.
Keep an eye on NVIDIA's robotics moves following its reported $12.9 billion acquisition, which may influence the future of compact robots like Microduck.