Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Look Up Creator Playbook Mashable Voices Trending Now Say More Mashable Selects Safety Net Versus Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Switch Off In My Bag All Series In a world of creepy humanoid robots, be a duck robot. Olivia Tauber is the deputy editor of digital culture, covering creators, media, movies, beauty, and more. Based in New York, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Cut, Teen Vogue, Complex, and Interview Magazine. She holds a Master's degree in Journalism from NYU and a Bachelor's from the University of Michigan. She also runs Fan Mail, a weekly pop-culture newsletter.

The lampshade-sized robot comes with a simulated twin that uses reinforcement learning to acquire new skills. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. The armless robot companion is expected to ship by Christmas. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

Hugging Face has announced its latest robot, and it's a real quacker. Pollen Robotics (acquired by Hugging Face last year) said in a blog post that the excellently-named Microduck was imagined as a more action-oriented alternative to its Reachy Mini desktop robot. Standing at 25cm tall and weighing under 800g, Microduck is a biped robot with 15 motors, a built-in camera and a small LiDAR sensor. It also has two IMUs and an articulated beak that is able to pick up objects. Where the Reachy Mini was a stationary robot built around human-robot communication, with Microduck, Hugging Face has focused on mobility.