Watch Desk posted an update
A small robot called Microduck can now walk down a step and onto a hill without switching gaits, according to its trainer, Witcheer. Hermes Agent queues the training runs, tests each walk and publishes them to Hugging Face.
Why it mattersThe work is done at home in a simulator on an RTX 5090. It is a neat example of an AI agent helping to manage a robotics training pipeline, not evidence that the robot has been tested on real-world terrain.
Discuss: For small robotics projects, is the bigger breakthrough better simulation, or agents that can manage the training-and-testing loop?
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedWitcheer says the updated Microduck walk handles 25 mm steps, slippery floors, shoves twice as hard as the default training, and gentle hills, all in one walk. That adds concrete detail to what the robot can manage in simulation.
The posted clip shows the robot stepping down at normal speed, crossing the floor at four times speed, then climbing onto a hill at normal speed. Witcheer says both walks are free to download.
It is a more useful look at the training result, though the demonstration remains in a simulator, not on a real kitchen floor. The duck has a little further to go before earning its domestic credentials.
Sources and evidence
- my Microduck can now walk down a step and onto a hill without switching walks. I train its walks at home in a simulator on my RTX 5090. Hermes Agent queues the training runs, tests: Witcheer says the updated Microduck walk handles 25 mm steps, slippery floors, stronger shoves and gentle hills in one walk, and says both walks are free to download.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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