Microduck launches $399 open-source RL robot

Microduck makes physical AI feel unusually approachable: developers get a real robot, a simulator, and the training pipeline instead of a closed demo appliance.

• –MuJoCo, PPO, and ONNX workflows let developers train behaviors in simulation and deploy them on hardware.
• –Its 15 motors, camera, LiDAR, and IMUs support experimentation with locomotion, grasping, recovery, and navigation.
• –The $399 price lowers the barrier for classrooms, hobbyists, and robotics researchers.
• –The open-source promise primarily covers software and training infrastructure; the physical hardware and replacement-parts ecosystem remain proprietary concerns.
• –The browser simulator is a smart onboarding path, letting developers test ideas before committing to hardware.